Weekend Warriors

Look at this fantastic Valentine! I recieved this in the mail on Friday from my swap partner, Kristi. We were matched up for the Hanging Valentines Swap through Sweet Goodness Swaps. You were to make a Valentine using whatever medium you choose, the only criteria was that it had to be a hanging Valentine. Didn't Kristi do a spectacular job? I absolutely love it! It's hanging in my dining room window for my enjoyment and is going to move to my bedroom after Valentines day. Thanks, Kristi!


This is the Valentine that I made for Kristi. I used wool felt and different decorative stitches. Really simple and fun to make. Kristi and I were on the same wave length and both made fabric hearts with wool.


Before...


Riff, Brittany and Noah are gone this weekend. They went to Cody, Wyoming to visit family. Brittany and Noah were going to fly out but Riff was worried about her traveling by herself with the baby so he drove them out. (I think there was a bit of seperation anxiety from the baby going on also ~ LOL!) Anyway, I took the opportunity of a free weekend to transform our bedroom from blah to beautiful.

I'm always a bit worried when I choose my paint colors. Afraid that on the wall they aren't going to be what I have pictured in my head. Believe me, this has happened a few to many times! We have three big windows in our bedroom that look out into our lush and green backyard, so I had invisions of a green garden room that is an extension of what we see out the window. I choose a moss green for the walls with a extremely light blue for the ceiling. I'm tickled to death! The paint turned out just how I pictured it. I love how it looks next to the brick, which was another reason for picking this color. Yah me! Dustin, by the way, helped by painting the ceiling. He worked hard and gave it the first coat of paint~ Thanks, Dust!!

The after pictures aren't totally after yet. Much tweaking needs to be done. The ceiling isn't quite finished, but that Arthur-ritis that hangs out in my shoulders do to too many years carrying heavy steak-filled trays above my head has taken its toll. Riff will give the ceiling it's final coat when he gets home. I have curtains on the way, but of course, on back order. I went with shears in a rust color to reflect the brick. We need a new comfortor or quilt but I can't seem to find one that cries out to me (or that I can afford right now!). I have an antique rocking chair that sits in front of the fireplace that I'm going to try my hand at reupholstering. It will be my first attempt so wish me luck. Our bedroom was actually a family room in our basement that we decided would be a fantastic master bedroom but has no closets, so we are going to be building closets along the far wall with a built-in computer desk in the corner. Riff is building me built-in bookcases in the fireplace corner also. (Not sure if he knows this, but now he will!) We want to take out the middle window, put in french doors to lead into the backyard where our mythical hot tub will be. That project will not be anytime soon, but it's nice to dream, isn't it?


After ~ I love it!

I'm still enjoying my weekend of quiet, so I'm taking myself off to a matinee now. 27 Dresses ~ looks funny. I'll let you know...

May you all be blessed with a little quiet time....

PawleyFarm Seasons

Help me welcome a brand new blogger to this blogging world ~ My lovely sister, Susan. Share her days as her and her two boys go about their lifes on their small farm in Northeastern Oregon. Pop over to PawleyFarm Seasons, give Susan a hearty WELCOME. I'm so glad she's joined us. I'm sure she will be sharing some of her farm cooking and quilting projects with us....(Right, Susan?!)

Cotton Candy Clouds...

...out my window this morning.

My House

MEME: My House

I ran across this meme on several sights and thought it was a fun one, so here goes:

What kind of soap is in your shower right now? Plain White Ivory ~ boring!

Do you have any watermelon in your refrigerator? It's February silly!

What would you change about your living room? I would take out that big picture window and put in one that opens for a little bit of ventilation and I would paint that window wall an ice blue. (Thanks to our big storm, our insurance company is taking care of this for us a little sooner that we planned!)




Are the dishes in your dishwasher clean or dirty? I AM the dishwasher~ (well, Riff too!)

What is in your fridge? Lots of juice, every kind. Chicken, yogurt, turkey ham, eggs, milk, beer, beer, wine, ketchup...

White or wheat bread? All depends on my mood. Wheat toast is the best, but tuna sandwiches have to be made on fluffy white bread.

What is on top of your refrigerator? Chips ~ fritos, doritos and wavy bbq

What color or design is on your shower curtain? White lacey with a lighthouse design.

How many plants are in your home? One, my plant keeping alive skills leave a lot to be desired.

Is your bed made right now? Halfway, the covers are all pulled up but the pillows aren't tucked in nice and tight like I like them.

Comet or Soft Scrub? Soft Scrub


Is your closet organized? What closet? We haven't built them yet...

Can you describe your flashlight? I just bought one at an estate sale. It's the shiny metal kind from days of old, quite heavy. Love it!

Do you drink out of glass or plastic most of the time at home? Glass. I also have some old metal "glasses" that we love to drink out of.

Do you have iced tea made in a pitcher right now? No, but always do in the summer time. I make Sun Tea all the time.

If you have a garage, is it cluttered? Not if Riff can help it. He trys to keep it clean and organized but there are 3 other people in this house that work against him like crazy.

Curtains or blinds? Curtains~ I don't care for the old mini-blinds but they safe us from roasting right now until we can get those living room windows replaced.

How many pillows do you sleep with? two

Do you sleep with any lights on at night? No, just that silly blue light shining from the Direct TV box. We usually throw a shirt or something over it.

How often do you vacuum? We have all hardwood floors, except in the bedrooms. Ours gets vacuumed once a week, but your guess is as good as mine about those teenagers rooms. Scary!


Standard toothbrush or electric? The old manual kind.


What color is your toothbrush? White and Aqua

Do you have a welcome mat on your front porch? I have a "wipe the mud of your feet" maat~~


What is in your oven right now? Burnt bits of frozen pizza ~ tomorrow though we will be enjoying my Rosemary lemon cookies. Yum!

Is there anything under your bed? books, books, and a warm blankie...

Chore you hate doing the most? Ironing. That's why I don't...

What retro items are in your home? The cabinets, the bathroom, the bathtub, the oil furnace. Our house was built in 1955, so many things are "retro". Decorative retro stuff is all over, since I love it including a very cool red metal retro highchair.

Do you have a separate room that you use as an office? Nope

How many mirrors are in your home? Just three I think...

What color are your walls? Most are a toasted wheat, but I just painted our bedroom a moss green. The kitchen has green wallpaper that has to go someday, but most of the house is in tans, blues, and greens.




What does your home smell like right now? Curry. One of my favorite food smells. I made Pineapple Chicken Curry for dinner. It was awesome!

Favorite candle scent? Fall-y smells like pumpkins spice and gingerbread. I just bought a Chocolate and Cherries candle today.

What kind of pickles (if any) are in your refrigerator right now? Dill. Always dill, never sweet!

What color is your favorite Bible? It's blue with some bible scene's on the front. My Sunday School teacher in Ketchikan, Alaska gave it to me for memorizing some verses.

Ever been on your roof? Not at this house. We just bought it at the end of August. I have scars on my foot from being on Riff's roof when we were just dating. That story is for another time...

Do you own a stereo? Yes. I bought Riff a vintage style stereo for Christmas. It looks like an old phonograph player and actually has a turntable along with the cd player, cassette player and radio.

How many TVs do you have? There are 5 tv's in our house. Ridiculous!

How many house phones? One

Do you have a housekeeper? Yes, ME!

What style do you decorate in? Right now our decorating style is baby. Playpen, walker, toys, blankies. Quite the little Babys R Us style show.

Do you like solid colors or prints in furniture? Generally solids. Depends on the piece.

Is there a smoke detector in your home? Two.

In case of fire, what are the items in your house which you’d grab if you only could make one quick trip? Noah Bean!

I'm not tagging anyone, just join in the fun if you would like!

Sacajawea and Jean-Baptiste'

HOW DISGUSTING! This beautiful statue, pictured here on the front of this book, of Sacajawea and her baby, Jean-Babtiste' was broken off of it's base and stolen from Fort Clatsop this past weekend. As far as I know, the culprits have yet to be caught. It is thought that the statue was stolen with the intent of being melted down and sold for scrap metal. To fund drugs? A lot of that type of thing has been happening around here lately, which is all very disgusting, but for some reason this incident just seems particularly heinous to me. Sacajawea and her baby?? How could you?! As my mother would have said "May the bird of paradise fly up your nose!"
On the same type of note, the phone service all over our county and into Washington was disrupted last Friday. Turns out some "Meth Heads" had dug up a good portion of the line to steal the copper tubing. (That's the theory. Others say that there isn't actually an copper on the fiber optic lines. Heck, who knows...) Seems to me that there would have to be easier ways to get copper. Are these same idiots the one's who stole our bronze Sacajawea?
I hope your busted, and soon...

We Have Another Baby!

Westen Lee Niziolek

Our oldest son, Sam, and his wife, Jes, had our newest little grandson on thursday January 17th. Westen Lee is just 6 pounds and both mamma and baby are doing well now, though poor Jes had to have him via c-section. Hopefully she heals quickly! We don't even have a picure yet, he's so brand new.(Revised ~ there he is~ Right up there!) Can't wait to get to Texas and meet the tiny guy.
Our family has grown by leaps and bounds the last six months with 3 new grandsons added and one new little nephew.
Welcome to the world Westen Lee!!

Dreamy Smurf

I just heard on the news that today marks the 50th anniversary of those little blue creatures only 3 apple-seeds high, the Smurfs. I loved those little guys when I was a kid and had quite a few of the little plastic Smurf figures. I wish I knew where those went...
I had a bit of a crush on Dreamy Smurf who always had his head in the clouds and could take naps anytime and anywhere. I'm a bit like that myself. I can't help wondering, though, where my heart would have lain had there been a "Bad Boy Smurf". I can picture him, his long hair blowing in the wind as he drives his tiny little red mustang down the road, his guitar thrown carelessly in the back seat...

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Today my Mom would have been 64 years old, so to celebrate her memory and her day I am giving a book from her favorite genre away. Mom always said that she thought maybe she had been born 100 years to late, that she should have been a pioneer woman. We lived on a farm in the Blue Mountains of Oregon and she loved to cook on her wood cookstove, milk her cow and take care of the other farm animals. She loved the rustic way of life. Happy Happy Birthday, Mom!
My friend Lucy from Sweet Repeats is the name that was drawn from the jar to receive 'All Together In One Place' by Jane Kirkpatrick. Yeah! Lucy, I'll get your book sent out soon. (Probably not until beginning of next week...I'm always a little slow...and I have the stinkin' flu....waaaa)

Buy A Friend A Book Week

Over at Rhinoa's Ramblings , she is having a give-away for Buy A Friend A Book Week. Rhinoa is offering three different books. You must go to her site and leave a comment about which book you would like to be entered in her drawing for. I thought what that I would join in the fun with her ~ not only to give a friend one of my favorite books ~ but also in honor of my Mom's memory and her birthday this week. When I lived close to my sister we would always go to lunch and maybe do a little shopping in celebration of Mom's birthday, but we aren't close enough to do that anymore so I always try to find a special way to honor her day. Mom loved to read and loved anything about the Pioneer days, so I have decided to give one of you the book "All Together In One Place" by Jane Kirkpatrick. I know this is a book that Mom would have loved, so really this is for you Mom. Just leave me a comment to be entered for the birthday book and I will draw one of your names sometime on Wednesday night, January 9th, which was Mom's birthday. Oh, and go ahead, tell your friends, bring them to the party too...
Thanks, Rhinoa, for the wonderful idea!
May you all be blessed with a good book and wonderful memories...

Snow!

We had a little skiff of snow this morning, which is almost unheard of here on the Oregon Coast. My little birdie friends were having a wonderful time scratching and pecking for seed under the feeder.



You remember my 2008 goal of finishing a project a week to list on either etsy or ebay? Well, in this first week of January 2008, I actually finished TWO. Wa-Hoo! Does this mean I can slack in the coming week? NO! It's just a bonus. I made a Rootin' Tootin' Cowboy Bib (actually two. One for our soon to be born Weston and one for sale) and another baby hat. This one I'm calling the Chocolate Covered Cherry Valentine Hat. Both are headed to ebay for starters and if they don't sell there the first time, I'll be lising them on etsy.

Pop over to my Magic Bookcase
to see what books I received for Christmas and to read my review of The Last Eleven Days of Earl Durand.

Catie An's Giveaway

Catie An is having a fabulous giveaway to celebrate her birthday and her 75th post. Jump over there, meet this wonderful lady and leave her a comment to be entered into her drawing!

Ringing In the New Year

This picture was taken on our Sunday outing in my new rubber boots. We didn't do much tromping around since the wind was blowing at moch 90 and Noah bean was with us. It was very chilly on the old beach, but I did mangage to get a little bit of sand on my boots. They are officially broken in.

We rang in the New Year in typical party pooper fashion. Riff opened one eye and grunted at the tv screen as the ball dropped and I wound up my knitting, stuffed it in my bag and promptly headed to bed with the sounds of snoring in my ears. We are the life of any party, I tell ya....

I don't make New Years Resolutions. I just don't like to set myself up for failure like that. Instead I choose to make some personal New Years goals this year. These are mine and mine alone; they don't include my family, friends, dogs or cat. Nobody but me ~

1) To get my Puddle Ducks Daycare to where I need it to be, bringing in the same amount of money that I left my job at. With the two and a half new kids that I just enrolled, I think that I am almost if not all of the way there. (I'M THERE!!)

2) To make a little bit of extra money with my craft projects. I am much encouraged with this since I sold 6 of my baby hats this past month. I want to keep the momentum going. My diaper bags are the main thing that I want to start marketing, but I also know that they are time consuming and I can never knit and felt fast enough to make a living off of them, but I think it would be wonderful to add to my income by a bit. I'm shooting for just $100 a month or so to begin with. That sounds do-able to me, I can always raise the amount after I reach it.

3)To travel to Germany to see our little grandson, Ayden. (and Ryan and Natascha, of course) I guess this one does affect Riff a bit...

4)To go to Texas to meet our newest grandson, Weston, after he enters the world. (and Sam and Jessica) Okay, so this one affects Riff too... (WE'RE GOING MARCH 6-10!)

5)To finish at least one project a week to be listed on etsy or ebay. This one really ties in with number 2...

6) Walk more, eat less.

7) Be nice more often.

8) Keep up with my weeding. The Secret Garden needs some attention.

9) Learn how to knit socks. (WORKING ON IT!)

10) Knit myself a sweater.

Not to many, but harmless enough I think.

Welcome 2008. May you all be blessed with achievable goals...