" I Need to Get Serious !"

I am getting frustrated with myself. I have had all of this free time as of late and have wasted it. Yes wasted it. 

 

Everything has been moved out of the dining room so that I could prepare the walls, wash them and then paint.

 

Granted It did take a good four days to fix the one doorway. I had to literally rebuild the corner with Spackle. It was really banged up and damaged. Then I repainted it and nailed up new corner guards to protect from further damage.

 

After which I got the jig saw out and cut a new piece of plywood, primed and painted it. We put it in the doorway to keep the dogs in the front part of the house. We've tried child gates but they where a pain in the butt to open and close so often. We can just step over the board.

 

The old board was too heavy and damaged the wall. So since I did that which I didn't expect to be so involved, I sort of slacked off.

 

I baked a cake. Those of you who know me also know that I hate cooking and baking. Wastes too much time and energy for me. I'd rather be crocheting, sewing, crafting , cleaning, gardening, well...

you get the idea, anything BUT cooking or baking!!!

 

I had been crocheting another pair of fingerless gloves for my older daughter Ginny. After I finished the first one, I tried it on only to discover that I stupidly used a size ten needle instead of a size eight!

I could swear that I grabbed the right needle! So I had to start all over again as this glove would only fit an eight year old.

 

Ginny suggested that I finish them for my granddaughter Sarah, the eight year old! Good Idea Gin, thanks!

 

Speaking of Ginny, she will be here for Thanksgiving. My favorite holiday. So I need to get my butt in gear and get this room done!!!

 

Why am I in such a hurry you may ask? Well I'll tell you, just calm down! My husband will only be home one more time before Thanksgiving. This will be next weekend. There are certain things that he needs to hang in that room that I can't. Also since there is only one electrical outlet in this whole room, I pretty much demanded that he put in a new one before Thanksgiving!

 

No I am not an ogre. Simply put, this is a fairly easy job for him. We have lived here eleven years. I have had to use an extension cord going across the whole room for eleven years every time I want to listen to the stereo.

 

Here's a little secret. Come closer. I don't want anyone else to hear....

my husband sometimes plays stupid. Yes he does. It has taken me longer than it should have to find this out. I guess that would make me really stupid!! 

 

He is very handy. Sometimes when I suggest a project be it big or small, he will stand there looking lost, blank eyed. I don't remember the exact moment at which I discovered this little trick of his but I did call him out on it. Now there is no playing dumb for him anymore. He and my son are to install a new electrical outlet in my wall next weekend.

 

So you see I have to get this room done! 

 

I colored my hair yesterday. Something that I never thought that I would do again. But I did it. It is a warm chestnut color and I must say that I am very pleased with the results.

 

I asked my fifteen year old, Katie, if I looked ten years younger without the gray. She just looked at me and said "What do you want me to say mom?".

 

What does she think I want her to say? I want her to be honest and say "Oh mom, you look at least ten years younger!".

 

I really like it. I couldn't stop looking at the pretty color. More time wasted. I could have been putting color on those walls!!!

 

So today I get serious. I am not cooking. There are leftovers and frozen pizzas. After I finish my coffee and this post, I am off to the dining room like a painting warrior!!!

 

I have until 3:00 p.m. at which time I will have to stop and get ready for church. Tonight is our Reformation service. We always have a weeny roast before service. Now how could one pass that up I ask you?

 

So you may not hear from me for a day or two. I'll have to take a break sometime, I will visit you then O.K.?

 

Wish me luck, patience and a steady hand!

" It's That Time Of Year Again "

It is THAT time of year again. The leaves on the trees are showing us their awesome colors.

They are also starting to drop their leaves on the ground. Time to break out the rakes and leaf blowers.

We've also seen the beautiful Autumn moon in full.

But around my house it is also time to get the yard prepared for winter. 

My mother's wooden table and chair will be brought into the garage to preserve it from the cold and snow. The hose will be wound up and put in the garage as well. 

My bike will be brought to the basement and the mower will be winterized. The latter will please my husband to no end I'm sure!

The planters will be emptied. The Cannas will be dug up. Some of the plants will be cut down.

Around my house it is also time for the annual

"Meeting of the Gnomes"!

You see,

along with all of the yard ornaments that are to be packed away,

there are also several gnomes that will go into hiding from the cold and bitter winds.

I suppose, as usual, they will be discussing this past summers garden.

You know, did she water enough, did she plant that in the right spot?

And what about that toad? Did she take good care of him?

All that I can say is that this summer was one of my better one's. And if I must defend myself, I will say that I planted several new perennials. All of which seem to be doing well.

 

This is my mini Pine Tree. I love Conifers!

I can't wait to put a little string of battery operated lights and some cute little ornaments on it.

When I mention this, my husband just shakes his head at me!

I honestly think that this annual ritual of winterizing our gardens would make many people sad. And as pretty as our yard looked this year (it improves year after year) I sort of look forward to it.

I love fall and I love winter. Granted February seems to drag on a bit for me but all in all I can say with honesty that I love each season. Watching the subtle and not so subtle changes still, after all these years, excites me.

Autumn being my favorite season because of the smells and colors. The cooler temperatures and the tasty Autumn treats.

And my most favorite, Thanksgiving. My favorite holiday.

Family gathering to share good food, fellowship, hugs and love.

Winter with it's uncanny silence. Glistening snow. Cozy nights snuggling with a warm blanket, glowing fire and a good book.

Oh and don't forget the hot chocolate with marshmallows please!

And then there is Spring. Filled with new life and hope. The smell of fresh dirt after a good rain and as always seeing that very first green bloom.

Summer brings to mind tasty B.B.Q.'d food. Drinking beer with my husband while playing board games in the yard. Planning out that years garden and the excitement of seeing the blooms and fruits of our labor.

I sure do hope that my garden Gnomes thought I did a good job this year. Our yard may be tiny but it is magical to us. 

I suspect the Gnomes have helped some with that!

So what about you? Are you preparing your space for winter yet?

Do you look forward to winter?

Do you have Gnomes too?

" Good Morning Folks "

Good morning everyone! I woke at 5:30 this morning. Not unusual for me. We had some storms going through our area so I had to hurry the little dogs along on their morning walk today. It is very windy and has rained a bit. Yet still very warm, 71 degrees. I may have to give Katie a ride this morning if it is still raining, we shall see.

I still have quite a few sculpture photos from CedarHurst. The above one is called "Dolmen" and is cast concrete. The size of some of these sculptures is amazing to me. It makes one wonder how they were constructed! The next two photos reminded me of the original movie
" War of the Worlds " I don't know why, it's just what pops into my head when I see them. And I see them several times a week on my drive to church!

 
They are called " Three Travelers ". They seem like alien travelers to me!

I don't know what my thoughts are on the one above. It is called "Eastern Leanings". Mmm, I just don't know!

How about this one? It looks like something out of my husbands tool box! I could not find the name of this one. It frustrates me because I know that I found it somewhere and now I can't. Sorry : (

I think that you'll get a kick out of the next one. I know I did. I took two photos at different angles. It is called " The Ties That Bind " .

You can click on the second one for a better view. I really liked this one, I found it very, very interesting and unusual in a familiar sort of way !

That's it for today folks. I must get busy working in my dining room today. I have a doorway that has been giving me problems. More than I first had anticipated. But I think it is almost ready and then I will wash the walls. I won't paint until the weekend.

The schools here have five days off starting Thursday! Five days! Thursday and Friday are teacher in service days which Jake and I always joke and say that they are actually ordering pizza and having kegs of beer! I guess Monday is a holiday. I'm sure you'll all let me know. Gosh I lead such a sheltered life. Thank God I have all of you to keep me on track!!

Hope you enjoyed the sculptures, I have more to post later. Have a beautiful day, Love Di ♥

" Now That Was A Weekend !"

Yes indeedy it was ! I am ready for bed right now, getting sleepy. Gosh how I wish for those days when I could stay up till 3:00 a.m., get up at 7:00 a.m. and do it all over again! I could accomplish so much more,but alas, time passes and I, we have slowed down.

But we still manage to slip in some fun and work. I guess you could say "We're not dead yet"!

My husband came home early this weekend which was a pleasant surprise. However the man was worn out. He had a pretty big chore list this time home but I didn't push it. He played hours and hours of video games. That is how he relieves his stress. It is what it is, he needed to relax too.

We went to a wedding last night. My daughter-in-laws, sister, Laura was getting married to a wonderful young man named Kyle. I remember the first time that I met him. I liked him that very instant. I think that is unusual. But he had good vibes!

Kyle and Laura are hippies. So it was indeed a hippie wedding! It was beautiful. I took a lot of photos but a lot of them came out funky. I think that I need a more advanced camera. I will add that to my wish list!

I'm only going to post a few. Who wants to see every single moment? So I will just post some of my favorites.

 The bridal party. My granddaughter is the one bending over. My grandson is the one sitting. It is so difficult to get little ones to sit still!

 My son Frank and his wife Amy.

O.K. this is my absolute favorite photo. Taken when we just arrived, Katie, my teen, asked Jack, my grandson, for a hug. It's not often that I get such sincere happiness in a photo from Kate!

Just so you can see how much Jack has grown. He and the groom, Kyle were wearing the same pants. Remember when we would cut up the seam of the outside and add different fabrics to make bigger bells on our pants? Hippie wedding!

Frank and me.

The flower girls. My Sarah is on the right.

The very excited groom, Kyle. Notice the pants.

 The bride, Amy's sister Laura with her dad,Ted. Sorry about the photo quality but I warned ya !

Man and wife!

Jake and I. Notice how good I am getting at penciling in my eyebrows!!! By now we were both getting tired. We all ate a wonderful dinner. Katie and Natasha were to spend the night at Frank and Amy's house to take care of Jack.

My son had charge of my grandson all evening thus far. By now Jake and I were headed home and Frank took the girls and Jack back to their house to spend the night. I hope he and Amy were finally able to enjoy the celebration. They both did so much work for the wedding. 

It was fun, beautiful and the food was fabulous.

As for Jake and I, well we were home by 8:00 and I was in bed by 9:00! Had a great night sleep. I won't even tell you all of the things that I did around the house today.

I am feeling very contented and happy right now. If I told you all that I accomplished today, you would probably scold me and I don't want to hear it. So just pretend that I did nothing, O.K.?

Thank you, you are sweet and that's why I love you!

Love Di ♥

" Cedarhurst " Part 2

Welcome back friends! The above sculpture was one of my absolute favorites ! When Katie and I walked out of the woods there it sat. I wanted to run to it and have her take a photo of me or her in one of the "Pods". Aptly named I think. Katie would have no part of my fun however as she chatted away on her phone! I am so happy that I am not a fifteen year old.

After further walking through the beautiful woods we came across this sculpture which is "Untitled" by an artist from Carbondale. 

 I couldn't get this entire sculpture in the shot if I stood too close, so I would click on "The Big Bang" for a better look!

I love this one too. It is called "Crossroads" and it is designed out of copper. I apologize for not being able to get closer for some of these but as I said in the last post, we were very pressed for time. I am still frustrated that I didn't get to see them all. But I will return soon to get shots of the ones that I missed. 

The one above reminded me of a giant, shiny gong! It is called "Shiny Moon" and is stainless steel. It is VERY tall !

I tried to get Katie to go inside of this giant nest for a photo but, well, you know! I couldn't find the name for this but I would call it " Huge Nest" !

Two different views of the same sculpture. I'm sorry I couldn't get the name of this one either. 

This is one of the sculptures that I drive past all of the time on the way to church. It is called "Time Tunnel" and is made out of steel.


O.K. one more sculpture for tonight. As I said there are Many of them. Fifty-three to be exact! But not to worry, I didn't get them all. I hope to go back in the very near future when I can take my time and really explore what else may be in those woods!

Unfortunately I couldn't get the name for this one either but it reminded me of Noah's Ark. I will post the rest of my Cedarhurst tour next week.

Well that's it for tonight folks. My husband is home early this weekend. We have a wedding to go to Saturday evening. My daughter-in-law, Amy's, sister is getting married. We met Laura when she was eight. My granddaughters age. Where does time go?  


I hope that your weekend is everything that you wish it to be!
Love Di ♥

" Our ADVENTURE to "Cedarhurst for the Perfoming Arts"

I have been longing lately to go visit Cedarhurst. It is only 1.3 miles from my house. Jake and I had taken Katie there once so long ago that she doesn't remember. I find it strange that we often times don't frequent special places in our own home towns.

We drive by Cedarhurst several times a week. It is a combination art museum and sculpture park. This is a truly beautiful place to visit is you are ever in Mt. Vernon Illinois. I believe that it was once touted as the largest sculpture park in the states. If you are interested in it's history here is the link...  http://www.cedarhurst.org/index.php?page=home

What I really wanted to do was take my grandchildren with to run free around the ninety acres. But since my Daughter-In-laws sister is getting married this weekend, everyone is in a bit of a frenzy!

So after school today I asked Katie if she would like to go with me. Her response was "Sure, I don't have anything better to do."! Alright, I'll take what I can get. So off we went. 

I have to tell you that we arrived just an hour before closing, so we pretty much RAN through the grounds to take photos. I plan on going back soon when I can take my time and enjoy it. My husband said he'd like to go back there too.

I took many photos, too many too post here today. And we didn't have time to see them all. There are many trails through the woods where you will be surprised by a sculpture. Still, even though our time was limited, I managed to take many photos. So without further ado, I will post a few of them today.

This one is called "Wrench Wench". I would suggest clicking on them to really get a good look!

 This one is "Knot".

I couldn't find the name of this one. One of the great things about the sculpture art here is that they are always adding new.

I couldn't help myself with this photo. There were sculptures in the distance, but it was the beautiful colored leaves that caught my eye this time!

This sculpture was amazing. I couldn't quite do the entire pond justice with my camera. There is also a waterfall in this pond and a bridge that goes over the pond. Again, time restraints! But I think the next photo will give you a better idea of this water sculpture.

It is called "Dancers". As you walk around the pond, it becomes more obvious.

One of the beautiful paths through the woods. You stroll along, perhaps sit and rest on one of the many benches....

You get up to stroll once more and there is another surprise around the corner!

This is a bird sanctuary. Inside it has information about the many birds that visit here. Along with many bird feeders hanging on the trees.

The weather and the woods were beautiful and calming.

Another sculpture "Hidden" in the woods. This one is simply titled "Vertical Form" it is made out of Granite.

I had to share the above photo with you as it is the only one that Katie took. She was on her phone the entire time and didn't seem to care weather we were there or not. Not to worry, I had a good time anyway. I also found a "Nice" young college age girl that happily took a photo of me next to "Aviatik"!

I suppose that someday Katie may enjoy these moments. What do you think? Another ten years maybe?

I found this sculpture to be one of my very favorites. You must click on it to get all of the detail. I don't have a name for this one. It must be new. I didn't look on the little sign in front of it. Many of the sculptures are permanent at Cedarhurst yet some are on loan. This makes it more interesting as you never know what you may come across.

I have many more sculptures to post so I will have to do a part II ! The sculpture above is called "Kimball". It is made out of chrome car bumpers. There are two more chrome sculptures in this town. One of which I will post next time. The other, well it has a very interesting history that involves a murder. Just down the road from our old house.
If you're really good, I may hunt it down and tell a bit of the history of the third chrome bumper sculpture!


I hope you enjoyed the "Cedarhurst" tour. I have saved some of the best for last. I hope you'll be back to see more of this interesting art.