Worries ....

On top of a full moon, this week has been a

week of worries. So many things to sort through.

I don't even know where to start to get it laid

out so I can start with one worry and fix it.

Worrying makes me anxious and tired. I just

want to sleep and not wake up without a knot

in my stomach. Where is the worry fairy, who,

with a wave of her wand, could take it all away??

What kinds of things do you worry about?

How do you cope when worry becomes so big?

The Great British Bake Off.

We worked our little buns off today so we

could kick back tonight and watch our new

favorite show. Yup, "The Great British Bake

Off" is our treat at the end of a busy week!

The British humor and the amazing baking is

enough for us to get all our tasks done in a day.

Love the set, the location, the pale colors of the mixers

and the scrumptious recipes are to die for. Today, I found

a site that has the recipes and ingredients listed. We may

have to try out a few now that we have a "baker's kitchen".

What shows do you love to watch?

Do you have any that you use as a "treat"?

Experimenting.

Our next door neighbors have a huge garden.

And they have gifted us a ton of veggies.

Thankfully, we are veg~a~holics but we

still have lots leftover. So it was time for action.

Too many cucumbers? What to do?

Let's learn how to pickle!!

First, find a great recipe. We found

many and all were the same, so we

chose the one that seemed the easiest

to follow along. Washed our jars out.

Washed, then cut up the cukes into

spears and circles. Should make 4 jars.

Mixed up crushed, fresh garlic, organic dill

weed, a pickling spice and red pepper flakes. 

Spicy but not hot.

Filled 6 jars with round cucumbers,

tall spears and sliced carrots for fun.

Made up the brine of pickling vinegar

and coarse salt, boiled the poured in the jars.

And finally, the end product. Currently cooling

but soon will be refrigerated for 48 hours. Then

we can open them up and enjoy our hard work.

These will last several weeks. Now that we've

done a bit experimenting in food preservation,

it may soon be time to invest in canning products.

Have you ever tried making your own pickles?

Did you venture into other food preservation?

Big!!

Driving into town this morning, we

marveled at the size of this big load. 

The highway we travel in to town travels

east ~ west and there are often these types

of wide loads being maneuvered towards the

east. Not sure where they are going ....

.... but they sure are big!!

A Warm Welcome.

When we bought our land 14 years ago, on a cold winter's night, we were told by the realtor and later by the neighbors that an annual BBQ, along with a huge bonfire, was held each summer. Over the years, as we visited our little piece of heaven and as we dreamed of one day having a home there, we also would talk about attending the bonfire each year. Our neighbor came to visit a few days after we moved in and told us that they hadn't done a bonfire the year before as the resident who planned all the events in our country subdivision had moved away. I was a bit sad to learn that something we were looking forward to, a small event that we knew would help us get to know our new neighbors was no longer something we could count on. But last Saturday, that all changed. A neighbor we hadn't met arrived at our front door, on her bike. to greet us, add our names to the master list of residents and extend an invitation to the "new" annual BBQ, along with a huge bonfire. We immediately said "Yes"! As the newest residents and as the final home to be built in the subdivision, she felt it was time to bring back the event so that we could meet everyone else. So glad she created this evening.

So tonight, after all our work was done, we walked over to the big field, freshly baked cookies in our arms to add to the desert table and happy smiles on our faces. 

We were greeted by the organizing neighbor and she introduced us to the others. It was a very warm welcome and we felt embraced by the genuine reception from everyone. Moving is never easy and it can feel so isolating but after tonight, I know our choice to move out here was clearly correct and we are finally HOME!!

Leaving the site, after lots of visiting, we walked back down the quiet lane with our new neighbors and their baby son. Invitations were extended on both sides to visit and we walked in to our new home feeling very accepted by this community. Can't wait for next year!

The tiny moon over the trees.

Do you live in a community of welcoming neighbors?

Does it feel safe, friendly and engaging?

Halfway There.

Our builder's team started to build the railing 

system last week. Despite our careful measuring, 

and measuring, and measuring once again, they came

up short on the pieces we ordered from the company.

.

So now the front veranda is almost done, just some 

minor finishing but the back porch will have to wait.

It will take about 6 weeks for the additional pieces

needed to arrive from the east coast. Frustrating!

But we still love the Colonial/Victorian look, even 

on a rainy day, and even if it is only half done!!

Ikea Shopping.

Ikea was created in 1943 by 17 year old Ingvar Kamprad. It is the world's largest furniture retailer with 373 stores in 47 countries. We are fortunate to have a great Ikea location in the big city next to us, and with the new freeway, it takes us about 10 minutes to get there from our country home. A favorite place to shop as a family. A trip always ends with a $1 ice cream cone. Reward for our travels into town.

We first discovered Ikea the year we were married, in 1984. My grandmother wanted to buy us a solid wood table and chairs for the kitchen in our new house. Someone suggested Ikea and our "love affair" with the multinational company began. We ended up with an amazing pine table with 4 solid chairs and had that set for the first 20 years we were married. It was a great investment and looked good in all the kitchens we had as we moved around. As we are collectors of antiques and vintage furniture, we personally don't have a lot of Ikea furniture (though our children are all huge fans and most of their living spaces are Ikea based), but we  have a lot of the storage lines, kitchen knick knacks, dishes, picture frames, candle holders and linens. 

It's fun every summer to receive the Ikea catalogue in our mail box and to spend time searching for ways to keep life organized or add a splash of "new" to a room. On a recent trip into the big city, I found these sweet little bags that can be used for gifts, goodies or as they had them displayed, with the tops rolled down and a plant set inside. Very sweet! I may go back and buy a pack. They come in white as well. 

Here's another new item: ribbon on a roll. I didn't buy these but again, may go back. I love the green combination and the pinks as well.And you can never argue the price!

Do you have an Ikea in your community or close by?

What's your favorite Ikea item to purchase?

No Denying It Now!

Fall has arrived in our area. 

The colors are rich and deep.

But now the leaves are falling.

Making our lush forest not as full.

Tiny angels on a see saw.

Path into the deepest part of the forest.

Our front drive way.

And the tiny side road we sometimes use.

Late afternoon sun, just before sunset.

How is Fall in your region?

Beautiful and colorful?

The Dollhouse is Primed!

It was a big job, but we finally did it!

The dollhouse, once blue, is now white.

Just primer but it's giving us a clean slate.

Looks almost "ghost like" now.

And the inside. Now we have to choose colors.

What colors do you think we should paint the outside?

Or even the inside? We cherish your ideas!

Sweet Bubble Boy.

I forgot I had captured this sweet shot

of our little "bubble boy" at our event. 

He was so excited to send little bubbles

up to Heaven, in memory of his uncle

and his auntie, who he never met but

he loves just the same. Our sweet boy!

Fall Out My Window.

Suddenly our landscape has changed and every day

we see more and more of Fall outside. So pretty!

I love this time of year. Crisp air, the smell of firewood,

garden fresh veggies and the feeling of home all around us.

Is Fall a season you love? 

What does it look like where you live?

Our Dollhouse Project.

Just after we moved into our new house, I was offered the opportunity to purchase a dollhouse kit to make a dollhouse from the ground up. We already have 2 other dollhouses that we'll be restoring, once our art studio is finished and we have the room to do some major reconstruction. I jumped at the chance to tackle this project, a challenging one, as I'm new to the dollhouse world as an adult. I had several dollhouses as child but none had to be built or restored. To start this from a kit was a challenge I was ready for and couldn't wait to start. The build part was frustrating at times, as all the pieces wouldn't always fit. I'd have to rework and rework, cutting and gluing. But in the end, it came together. The next step is to prime and get the dollhouse ready for all the trimwork, then time to decorate. 

On this long weekend, full of rain and tons of

strong winds, dh captured me finishing up the trim.

All done, now on to the priming and painting.

The blue is lovely but too dark for my taste.

A view of the inside. So many rooms!

I didn't like that there were some gaps in the

corners, so I used drywall compound to fill them in.

The attic. This little spot should be fun to decorate.

Tomorrow's post will show the priming that we

finished up tonight, on this rainy and stormy day.

How was your long weekend Sunday?

Did you work on any projects this weekend?

Morning Fog.

This morning, we woke up to a world covered in thick fog. Okay, so maybe not the entire world but for us, it was the world outside our windows. It was eery, spooky and just a bit unnerving to look out and not be ale to see across the yard. Even though I had slept all night, I did want to curl back under the covers and stay snuggled. But I had a couple of counselling appointments to attend to, so up I got. I can usually bath in the morning sunlight without turning any lights on but today, I did have to turn them on. When I left the house, the fog hadn't lifted all out, making it a very "interesting" drive into town. Wish I could have captured the mood and the sights but I really needed to concentrate to make my way safely down the trail. Once I got to my centre, it was quite a bit lighter and by midday, it had all disappeared. I'm sure now that the weather is turning, we'll have more foggy mornings ahead. Hope not too many!

Out our one bedroom window.

The one pic I stopped to take ~ our neighbor's house.

Can you see it, hidden away behind the fog?

Surprise!!

When I packed this box last fall, I walked away to do

another task, then couldn't remember what was inside.

My sarcastic side ~ always witty.

Finally opened it today after many guesses

of what could possibly be inside.

And what was inside? This sweetie!

My favorite woven heart & a shell from the sea.

Earthy & fragrant pieces for our bookshelves & pots.

My tiny bunny.

A "pregnant" bear.

And the color inspiration for our entire house: 

light lavender, sage green, pink & ivory.