In Remembrance

Several days ago I learned that my great aunt passed away on December 21 at the age of 89.  She was the youngest and last surviving of George & Clara Dexter's children, youngest sister to my grandfather and affectionately called "Ruthie" by all of us.  As I was thinking of her today, I found these old photos that I wanted to share.  All of the people in this photo are no longer here with us, but the memories certainly are, and their legacy continues on.

The photo above is labeled the "Brown Family"  

I'm going to guess that the man in the back is my great-great-grandfather, John Brown.

L-R Back Row:  Clara Brown Dexter (John's daughter), Warren Dexter (Clara's oldest and my grandfather), I'm guessing the next person is Rebecca Copithorne Brown (John's wife). The reason I am guessing at Rebecca is because she looks very young in this picture - especially for a grandma - but I have no idea who else it could be.  Maybe another descendant will find this post and help me out.  :)

 L-R Front Row:  Ruth (Dexter) Murray (Clara's youngest) and Charlotte (Dexter) Grassie (Clara's middle daughter).  

This is George Dexter (my great grandfather) with his three children.  He is holding Ruthie.  Charlotte and Warren are beside him.  I love how Warren (my grandpa) seems to be the only one looking at the camera.  I also wonder if he was supposed to be, considering that everyone was looking to their left.  Do you ever wonder what stories and conversations are behind these photos?  There are some, like this one, that cause me to think up conversations that could have happened.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas.  We did.  We even had snow.  It was beautiful.

Easier Said Than Done

Over the past few months, as I thought about the things God was leading me to do, I had all kinds of visions.  I envisioned gatherings at my cabin that included tea and crafting, several discarded items given a new purpose, and a blog where I could share a bit of me and let others know that they aren't alone when life gets hard.  I even had this great idea for a ScrambledTea logo.  In my mind, things would work out perfectly.

The reality is . . . 

Putting my thoughts to paper to begin my ladies group isn't happening as quickly and as easily as I expected.

Time to craft in my "crafty coop" is less than minimal.

Creating my logo has been challenging.  I found some fonts to spell out ScrambledTea that I think work well.  My sister helped me give it a finished look by tweaking the font a bit and adding a graphic.  We both LOVED the graphic and I decided to buy it so I could use it legally.  Problem - the "license to use" forbids it to be used in a logo.  BUMMER!  Now as I search for graphics, I have to look for the clause about logos.  I've kind of run into a road block.  I have some options I need to pursue next, but I think I will wait until all of the hustle and bustle that Thanksgiving and Christmas bring subsides.

Most of all . . . blogging is harder that I thought.  It is partly why I've been "quiet" for a while.  When I journal and put my thoughts on paper, I can type anything I want.  If I'm upset about something, I can put it anything I want on paper and no one knows.  If anyone in my family is having a difficult time, I can spell it out on paper.  In "Bloggerland" . . . . it's a totally different story.  I want to be as transparent as I possibly can, but some things have to remain private and personal.  In the process of trying to express things so that you can relate and hopefully feel encouraged, I have to be careful that I don't hurt anyone in the process.  In other words, I have to carefully express thoughts in a way that doesn't point out or effect my family or anyone else who may be involved.  So these days I am faced with a challenge.  I want to share my journey with you but the journey isn't easy and I run into obstacles often.  All too often, I believe, we go through these and feel like we are the only ones.  How do I express in a blog that you aren't alone without sharing too much?  Yes, it is a challenge for sure.  It's the reason I want to have get togethers at my cabin.  At least that isn't on a page that could forever haunt someone for years to come.  Some of my readers, however, are too far away to participate in my cabin gatherings.  I still need to be able to be real online.  It isn't impossible, it's just tricky.  I think I'll get the hang of it eventually - or I'll just have to learn to focus that energy into a project that I can share with you.

A School Bus, A Garbage Truck and A Crazy Person

This morning I had planned to send my oldest off to school and then get ready for my day which includes a makeup party in the afternoon.  My morning changed quickly when the bus came and a certain son of mine wasn't quite ready to head out the door.  We all have those mornings, don't we?  I am blaming it on the fact that we have to get up before the sun.  It's just not an easy thing to do.  If you think I'm being easy on him, it's only because I am guilty of running late more often than he is so it is a little hard to lecture someone for something you are guilty of yourself.

Anyway . . . since this wasn't the first time I had to take him to school in the morning, we had the routine down.  I knew exactly what time to leave so we weren't there too early - or too late.  If we leave by 7:35 we get there "just right" (a little Goldilocks thrown in - did you get that?).  We left at 7:37.  Still not too late, but I forgot what a difference a minute (or 2) makes.

We just pulled out of the driveway and find myself behind a garbage truck that is moving slowly as it stops at the houses on our road to pick up the garbage.  To give you a visual, our road is one of those rural roads.  There are corn fields and farms as well as turns and hills.  It is pretty much a no passing zone the entire stretch of the road.  As the truck is slowing down for the next stop, I'm evaluating the road ahead to see if it is safe to pass.  I see a few headlights ahead and am not in the mood to risk a head on collision.  The truck stops and car behind me passes us.  He pulled over before the other cars were too close, but it still looked too close for me.  Needless to say, I didn't get to pass at this garbage stop.  By the time the cars went by, the truck was moving again.

Second Stop.  I see one van approaching.  I figure that as soon as he gets by, I can get around before the garbage man is finished with this stop.  Would you believe the van decided to stop and wait for the garbage truck?  Yep.  He waited.  The garbage man DID cross the street to get the garbage from this stop, so it was nice that he didn't run the guy down.  I will give him that, but I don't understand why he waited as if it were a school bus.  I am sure, by this time, that my "antics" in the car were quite interesting for anyone looking on.  I was okay with begin stopped by the truck once but now the clock is ticking and school will be starting on time - garbage truck or no garbage truck.

Stop Three.  A truck is coming.  Oh good.  He didn't stop.  After he goes by, I'm home free.  Wait.  No.  Don't stop.  No.  Keep going.  Go a little faster.  I'm literally waving for him to MOVE.  Finally!  The garbage can is still upside down in that garbage truck, I can GO.

I got around the garbage truck (finally) and we were still at the school on time.  It was on the late side of on time, but we made it.  There were even a couple of buses still dropping kids off.  I had a relaxing drive home but had to chuckle at myself as I thought of what in the world these other drivers were thinking of the crazy lady (who, by the way, still looked like she just got out of bed) in the red SUV.  If he misses the bus again, (which he better not <grin>), I'll be sure we leave by 7:35 so we are in FRONT of that garbage truck.

TEA TIME:   I'm enjoying English Breakfast Tea this morning from Bigelow Tea.  The teacup graphic is from The Graphics Fairy.  Don't you love it?

Apple Crisp Should Be Easy

Apple Crisp is one of my favorite fall treats because it is so simple to make.  At least, it is usually simple to make.  Today I found it more difficult than normal.

I have a handy, dandy "Apple Peeler Corer Slicer" that makes peeling and slicing apples a breeze.  Sometimes my boys will help just to use the fun tool.  I love this thing.

Today I got my handy kitchen tool out from the top of the pantry and put it together.  I got the apple on nice and snug and as I was ready to twirl away until I noticed something.

The part that peels is missing.  :(

I looked in the box.  Not there.  I searched my junk drawers (yes, unfortunately, there is more than one).  Not there either.  You see the part in the picture that looks like a red duck bill?  There is supposed to be a round metal piece attached.  The round part at the end cores and slices.  It's awesome when it works.  Today, instead, I had to do the work.  I had to use a regular vegetable peeler and peel the apples the old fashioned way.  Then I had to slice it with a knife - the old fashioned way.  I decided, at this point, that just ONE Apple Crisp is enough for today.

I really like my Apple Crisp recipe.  It was my mom's recipe so it is the Apple Crisp I grew up eating.  I am not sure where she got the recipe.  Maybe after reading this she will tell me.  :)

What I love about this recipe is how simple it is.  Just sugar, flour, cinnamon, butter and apples.  Hard to mess up.  Right?

Wrong.

I needed 1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon.  I grabbed my measuring spoon, measured for the first teaspoon of cinnamon, put it in the bowl and reached for the smaller teaspoon for the 1/2.  Guess what?  The smaller one was 1 WHOLE teaspoon.

Good grief.  What did I use then?

I used a whole TABLESPOON!  I decided that the 1/2 teaspoon might be overkill at this point so I put the measuring spoon away, sighed a bit, and finished making my mixture - extra cinnamon and all.

Here it is - all baked.  I have to say . . . it's still pretty good.  I will try to pay better attention next time though.  I also think I'll go online and see if I can get parts for my not so handy (at the moment) peeler machine.  After all, I have to redeem myself by making a proper Apple Crisp next time.  :)

After all of that, I needed a cup of tea.  The other day I enjoyed my last cup of Apple Cider Herbal Tea from Davidson's Tea.  I always find Herbal Teas a little weak for me so next time I will try 2 tea bags instead of one (when I find more).  I bet it would have been really good with my Apple Crisp.  Maybe next time.  For now, Lipton's Bavarian Wild Berry suits just fine.

This isn't the worst baking mistake I've made but it was today's mistake.  So, I'm curious.  What kind of baking mistakes have you made?  You can share it by leaving a comment below - or you can just comment about my mistake if you want.

Thanks for laughing with me today.  

9/11: Never Forget

It's Tuesday, September 11.  Eleven years ago, it was also a Tuesday.  I was at a MOPS meeting at our church.  It would have been our first meeting for the school year.  Because of my position as treasurer, I wasn't in the meeting right away.  I remember having to go into the church office for something.  Our church secretary had the radio on.  The news was that a plane hit one of the Twin Towers.

Of course, everyone is saddened by a plane accident, especially when it hits such a highly populated place like NYC, but, of course, we now know that there was more going on than that.  It's been so long that I can't tell you exactly how the news unfolded for me, but I know that it didn't take long to learn that planes were hijacked and our country was under attack.

After a rather unsettling MOPS meeting, we all went home, and, I'm sure, many of us were glued to the news that day.  My boys were 3 years old and 3 1/2 months old at the time.  Now, at ages 14 and 11, they only know about this day from what we share with them and what they learn in school.  While I know that they will never FEEL the way we felt on that day 11 years ago (and the days to follow), I hope that the lessons we learned from all of it will not be forgotten.

Eleven years ago, this country came together and said "NO".  "NO" we won't be a victim.  "NO" we won't back down to your threats.  "NO" we won't live in fear.  As we are in an election year, I watch the posts on Facebook.  We all have different ideas of who should be in office and why we like that candidate.  I think that is fine, but when I see posts that poke fun or insult people with different views, I feel we have forgotten what we learned at 9/11.  The people who hate our country, hate all of us.  They don't care about our religious or political views.  When elections come, they can get heated and I think they can easily divide us.  We need to learn to be respectful, whether we agree or disagree, for two reasons.  First of all, insulting someone's views or way of life will never get them to dialogue with you so you can find common ground.  It only creates a wedge.  If you are a Christian, how do you expect to share God's love with someone if you aren't showing it?  If you spent more time talking respectfully with others, you may find you have more in common than you think.  Secondly, we are allowing division, once again, in our church, our community, and in our country.  On June 16, 1858, Abraham Lincoln said "A house divided against itself cannot stand."  At the time of the speech, the country was divided on the issue of slavery.  These days, we are divided on other issues that, while they aren't slavery, can enslave us.  I strongly believe that our country and the freedom we have is a gift from God.  Eleven years ago, we sat in horror as we watched (and felt) our sense of security be snatched from us in just a few minutes.  I believe our freedoms in this country can be lost as well if we don't stand together in mutual respect.  We don't have to agree, but God tells us to love.  We can take a stand for what we believe in but we are not to attack others.  Taking a stand and attacking are very different.

I want to leave you with a video from The Skit Guys.  I think it can express things better than my blog. I love your comments.  I hope you'll leave one here.  Where were you on 9/11?  Please share.

Saturday's Yard Sale Finds

With the start of the school year and cooler weather ahead, it feels like yard sale season is winding down.  I have quite a few things to create with so, while I still enjoy looking for great things, I have to be careful I don't go overboard.  My goal is to actually repurpose or freshen up the things I purchased before next summer.  If I have too many things, my to do list will be too big, but who can resist things that are FREE or just a dime?

I am not a fan of driving from one small yard sale to another.  I prefer neighborhood sales or those that are in a cluster area.  On Saturday, I found two yard sales listed in the paper that were close to me.  I decided I was just going to stay close to home this time so I could be home at a decent time and finish some things at home.

I'm just going to tell you about the moving sale I went to.  I actually went twice.  This lady had so many beautiful things for sale.  I wish I had a house that they would fit in, but, because I don't, I had to leave them there.  :(

I did get a few things that made me smile though.

First, I found this teapot.  It still had the tag on it ($79.00).  I love it because it has an insert for my loose tea.  It came with the teapot warmer which I researched.  I found that it is sold by Stash Tea Company for $12.  For this set, I paid $2.

Lately, I've enjoyed collecting glass containers.  The more unique the better.  I love the look of grain or noodles in a glass jar.  I haven't decided what will be housed in this one, but I loved it.  Couldn't leave it on the table when it was only 50 cents.

This adorable teacup and saucer was only a buck.  I found a tea stain on it (what is a teacup without one, right?)  I think a little distilled white vinegar with clean it right up.

I'm creating a little tea corner in my living room.  This looks nice in the corner.  This is how I'm using it:

More glassware.  The one on left was 10 cents.  The one on the right was free.  Gotta love free.  I'm thinking of putting a candle holder inside the one on the right and some fall "potpourri" between the jar and candle holder.

Another freebie  --- :)

From a different angle.  I don't know if I want to shine up the silver or not.

After getting these goodies, I left the yard sale, but I couldn't stop thinking about something I saw there.  I have been wanting new dishes for years.  What I have in mind is hard to find.  I found one I loved which were way over my budget, but they've been hard to forget about.  There was a set of dishes for sale that were very much like what I was wanting.  The box had 10 large plates, 10 smaller plates, 10 mugs and 2 bowls.  I was stuck on the fact that there were only 2 bowls.  I would need more bowls.  After all, my family eats a lot of ice cream. :)  I left the dishes at the yard sale and as I was heading toward home, I kept thinking about them.  I really liked them.  I would probably not find something like them again.  I definitely would have trouble finding that many dishes at one sale either.  I could get other bowls to coordinate with the set.  Ok.  It was settled.  I turned my car around and went back to the sale.  I was just hoping that they were still there.

The lady at the sale recognized me and knew I was back for something.  I told her about the dishes and how I was hesitant because there were only 2 bowls.  She said, "No, there are 10 bowls.  I have the whole set.  They must be inside.  I'll go get them for you."  In that case, the set was definitely sold.

Then I got bad news.  She couldn't find the bowls.  She was in the process of moving and someone helping her must have accidentally packed them to go to her new house.  We exchanged emails.  I also gave her my phone numbers.  She seemed like a very efficient woman so I think I'll be getting those bowls once she gets settled.  I'm enjoying them while I wait.

I love the pattern.  I received several pieces of milk glass from my great aunt and grandmother.  I love them too, but they never seemed to go well with the color scheme of the kitchen (cream/brown).  The design in these bowls seem to pull the white milk glass right in.

The kitchen feels more complete now (although I'm never done).  I learned these dishes are called 'J'Adore Creme' from Laurie Gates.  See how well they go with my table and chairs?  :D

I think my fireplace needs some sprucing up now.  Nothing a little fall decorating can't fix.

Time for Tea
The other day I received a shipment of tea that I purchased from Teavana.  Since I had new mugs and it's time to put the summer drinks away for a bit, I decided I had to give my Strawberry Lemonade Herbal Tea a try.  It was recommended that I get their German Rock sugar.  I don't usually use sugar in my tea but since this one was fruity . . . and a lemonade, I figured it would work well.  I'm thinking next time I'm going to try making it an iced tea, but it was great as a hot tea too.

Thank you for visiting me today.  I hope you'll stop by again next time.

The School That God Built

The end of August always seems to give us warning signals.  Do you notice them?  The crisp, cool morning air.  That fresh morning air smell that reminds me a bit of the smell after a rainstorm, only this time of year there doesn't need to be a rainstorm.  These little changes in the air remind me that fall is coming and a new school year is about to begin.  I find myself with mixed emotions as this new school year has begun.

I'm excited to soon be able to unpack my favorite boots again along with the tote filled with fall clothes that provide a change in my wardrobe.  (I've always preferred my fall/winter wardrobe to my spring/summer one.)  I'm looking forward to pumpkins and mums in my front yard, pumpkin pie, and, hopefully, the return of Panera Bread's Pumpkin Spice Latte.  Don't forget that fall also marks the return of another series of Psych.  Does anyone else think they've kept us in suspense long enough?  :)

I'm not looking forward to an alarm clock that wakes me up before the sun.  I also feel a little anxious about the morning rush to catch the school bus.  Mostly, though, I'm struggling with the fact that I have a child beginning high school this year and that it will not be long until we are giving him keys to the car and then helping him choose a college.

I can't help but also feel a great sense of joy and anticipation as this upcoming school year causes me to reflect on the past few years.  Three years ago, after watching our son get more and more frustrated with school, we met with teachers and school administration to try to solve this problem. Their suggestion was to have him tested for ADD.  From my observations of him, I highly doubted that it was possible, but for the sake of helping us move on with school, I decided to get him evaluated.  We found an excellent psychologist in our area who, after several thorough tests, concluded that it wasn't ADD after all.  He was bored.  We tried to find ways to keep him challenged, but the school he attended wasn't equipped to make adjustments for him so we continued to do the best we could with the situation.  Our doctor did tell us that the best school for him would be a Magnet School that had something to do with engineering.  At that time, I wasn't really sure what that meant, but I did now that there was no such thing within 2 hours of us and I often wondered what to do.  Moving to an area with a Magnet School wasn't an easy option since I am married to a farmer.  I tried considering every possible option for our son to attend a school that would be a better fit, but there just didn't seem to be one.  Our son was frustrated and we were frustrated.  It made for an interesting, and quite stressful, couple of years.

Last fall, when our local VoTech school had an open house, we decided to take a tour and see what they had to offer.  That word "engineering" was still in the back of my mind and I was trying desperately to find it.  At a table, we found a flyer that told us there was a new school coming to the area that would be attached to this VoTech.  It was being referred to as a Magnet School.  There wasn't much information except that it was expected to open by the following school year.  We didn't know what the Magnet School would offer or if it was the right fit or not, but we knew we had to keep our eyes and ears open for any news.  News came months later and we got to attend an information night.  We learned that this would be a STEM school and it would open in time for our son to attend for his freshman year in the fall.  After attending the open house, we feel even more certain that this school is an answer to prayer.  I often call it "The School That God Built".  We didn't have to move.  My husband didn't have to find a new career.   Today is his first day.

The timing of all of this also amazes me. First of all, it was completed in time for his freshmen year. The earliest he could start.  God also proved His love and provision for me and my family in a time that I needed the reassurance that only He could give. We've had several challenges in our lives these past few years.  The struggles of three years ago have still been a struggle, and, in the meantime, more struggles piled on.  The load can get heavy after a while.  I'm sure many of you can relate.  I knew in my head that God was in control and I could trust Him but some days things were hard (or I was tired) and my faith would waver a bit.  Now I have a renewed sense of peace for the other uncertainties we face.  I know it won't always be easy but I'm learning to wait on Him. The waiting is the hard part.  Watching the pieces fall into place and knowing only God could . . . THAT is amazing.

By the way - you might like to know what STEM stands for.  It is:
Science,
Technology,
Engineering <wink>,
Mathematics.
How cool is THAT?

I don't have any photos for this blog, but I found a video on YouTube I wanted to share.  I hope it encourages you.

.Jehovah Jireh - Our Provider

A Temporary Rocker Update Improves the Whole Porch

I took a break from blogging so I could get our family ready for 10 days at our cabin at Roxbury Holiness Camp.  It was a great 10 days, but now it is back to reality and the countdown to school starting for our boys.  Depressing, huh?

While I was at the cabin, I worked on a few quick projects.  Here is one of them:

A few years ago, this rocker love seat ended up in the old cabin.  It was more comfortable than the sofa that was in there so I kept it there until someone claimed it.  A year or so later, after we rebuilt the cabin, I noticed that this rocker still smelled quite strongly of mothballs so I left it on the front porch for another year.

We still haven't had anyone claim this little rocker.  While I am definitely not a fan of the fabric, I think it is an adorable little rocker.  I struggled with giving it an update.  First of all, I still felt it belonged to someone else and someday they would miss their little rocker.  Secondly, I had examined it before and found something about this rocker that had me stumped as to how to fix it.  It bothered me, though, that it didn't fit in with the rest of the furniture on the porch.  Finally, with a little coaxing from a friend (it didn't take much), I decided I could give it a quick, temporary update so it was at least an attractive item on the porch.  I've decided that if someone claims it, they can have the new, improved one.  I think it is safe to assume that most people would be okay with a fabric update in this case.

 I started by removing the back cushion.  Easy.  Look at the beautiful, curved back.  So charming.

 Under the seat cushion, instead of a smooth seat, there was this plywood screwed into the seat.   This was the issue that I knew about and was hesitant about fixing.

 As you can see from looking at the bottom, it was covering a great big hole in the seat.  I have no idea what was there.  I'm guessing it was a caned bottom maybe?  Either way, it is the other reason I hesitated on fixing it up.  I had no idea what to do about this board.  I don't have the woodworking skills to fix it so I had been stumped on this one for about year.  On this day, however, inspiration came and I came up with my temporary solution.  Amazing what a day sipping hot tea on my porch will do for my creativity at times.

 I turned the thing upside down and began removing the skirting.  I keep a couple of screwdrivers in our utility closet at the cabin and they worked really well.

 Look at this clean rocker.  Okay.  Okay.  It needs a bit of a dusting and furniture polish, but I didn't bring the wood cleaner from home so that will have to wait.  I just wanted it to stop clashing with the porch.  Let's not get too distracted here.

 Since I had no way to fix or replace the board on the seat, I replaced the cushion.  I had no choice.  We are at camp and supplies are limited.  I do, however, have quite a supply of fabrics and curtains in a bench I keep in the cabin.  I'm not done hanging curtains so they sit in the bench until I decide on what to do and get some rods hung.

 In my treasure hunt in that bench, I came across this fabric.  It is a square tablecloth.  I'm not sure what I originally had in mind for it.  I have a tendency to grab fabric at yard sales when the price is right (usually .25) and if I find it an attractive pattern.  I used it to cover the original cushion.  This means the mothball smell is still there, I know.  But, remember, it is temporary until I can spend the time I need to on it.

So, do you want to see the end result?

I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised with how well it turned out for a quick fix.  I just grabbed a couple of neutral pillows off of the futon upstairs and the pillow in the middle was another quick project that I will share later.

 Here is a picture of how it looks with the rest of the porch furniture.  I love the way the pillows ended up pulling the colors of the shutters with it.

For a temporary fix, I was a very happy camper that week.

My New Space

In my last blog, I told you about my need for a workspace.  Remember that great idea that I promised I would reveal today?  Here it is . . . .

My Idea 

At my hubby's farm there is this barn (well, actually an old chicken coop) that is now used for storage.    

I thought it would be really great if I could use a section of the building for my stuff and create a workspace as well.  This would give me shelter from the weather and the stuff would be out of my way and I have plenty of space to work.  That's my philosophy anyway.

Popping the Question

On Saturday I had been out to yard sales and was able to snatch up an old bed with an old bed spring, a porta-crib, and an old cot kind of thing with springs (see a theme?).  There was no way these were going in my house or garage, so I called my man and asked if I could put these babies in that building.  We had already stored the old windows and doors from our cabin in here so I figured these could fit beside them.  He agreed, but not without a sigh (remember - he isn't a fan of my junk).

While he is helping me get this stuff in there, I asked him about using some space here for storage and possibly a workshop instead of trying to find a shed for the backyard.  He agreed.  No sigh.  No hesitation.  Just a "sure".  I almost floated to the car.  I was so excited!

Preparations

Now that I have the permission, I have to start the preparation.  This place was moved out of about 30 years ago.  Some of the original feeders and such are still in the building.

  

The ceiling above is simply the 3rd level's tongue and groove wood floor.  There is still sawdust on that floor which seems to seep down through the cracks (even though I can't see them) and get caught on little cobwebs that you wouldn't see if it weren't for the sawdust.  Did you ever see what cobwebs mixed with sawdust looks like when it's hanging from the ceiling?  They were everywhere.  At night it could probably look creepy. That's why I'll stick with going there in the daylight.

Ok.  Moving on.  I chose the back section of the 2nd floor.  It was in need of a good scrub. On Wednesday, I took a broom and swept the ceiling, walls, windows and floor.  I was thinking I wanted to use the entire back section, but there was a rather large hornet flying around the center window.  I decided I would leave him alone and so I cleaned from the left side of that center window and around the corner to the big feed box on the left side.  Well, actually, I cleaned up to the edge of the window that is against that box.  You see, flying around THAT window was a yellow jacket.  I guess you could say I allowed the stinging insects to determine my space.  I definitely wasn't going to invade theirs.  I didn't see any type of nest anywhere so I think they were just hanging out for the afternoon and I'm hoping they are gone when I return.  In the meantime, I think I have enough space to start.    

Here's more of the space.  One of the reasons I chose the second floor is because it has more natural light than the third floor, however, I don't remember it being as bright as the photo below makes it appear.  I think I used my flash that time.  Still, there is more natural light on this floor and natural light is always nice.

These are the stairs and doorway leading to my workspace.  Let me tell you something about me.  I'm a bit of a girly girl.  I very rarely wear sneakers - or flats.  I have two pair of flats and they are flip flops.  The rest of my shoes have at least a 2 inch heel.  I usually have NO problem at all going anywhere in any of my shoes.  Let me tell you something about these steps.  You have to remember that this place was built a very long time ago and it was built for farmers.  Farmers fear nothing (at least that is the case with mine).  Being that I am not, nor ever was, a farm girl, I have a few fears.  Steps with no railing make me nervous.  If you add flip flops or heels to the equation, I am more than a little nervous.  Maybe when I was younger, but now I think I will just get used to wearing sneakers more often.  I'm just glad it isn't a ladder.  

So that is my space.  Soon I will be moving things into the space and hope to start creating again.  I'll keep you posted on the progress.  Next week I hope to show you what I've been doing to a couple of patio chairs.

P.S. - In future posts, my goal is to share the tea I'm enjoying.  I have a mug by me all of the time and thought it would be fun to share it with you.  Today I just steeped the last I had of Pomegranate Delight by Twinings.  It is probably one of my favorite fruit infused teas to date so I should probably purchase another box.  It even smells delicious.  What is your beverage of choice at the moment?

Thanks for visiting with me.

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Stuff and Nonsense

Space Wanted

Small Problem

I've really caught the repurposing bug.  I am finding that I am much better at collecting the items to repurpose or just fix up than I am at the repurposing and fixing up part.  I have very good reasons though.

Reason 1

I'm a little afraid that I'm going to mess it up.  What if I make it worse than it is?

Just a few of my future projects

Reason 2

For a few things, I can't decide what color to paint them or what to turn them into.  Sometimes making a decision is really hard for me.

Seriously.  I can't decide on a color.

Reason 3

I really don't know where to work.  I have no workshop.  I usually work on things outside but when it is hot, humid or just plain rainy - that doesn't work so well.  I have a 2 car garage but my hubby really feels that a garage is for cars and not projects so moving the cars outside it out of the question. :)  I'm not complaining about his philosophy, though.  I really do like the shelter of the garage on a rainy grocery day.

Reason 4

My collecting is making me feel a little overwhelmed.  They need their own place - or I need to stop collecting them.  Yeah, who am I kidding?  These things need a home!  That's easier than passing up that cool freebie along the road - or not buy the "coolest thing ever" at a yard sale.

Reason 5

I can't feel creative when I'm feeling claustrophobic.  Simple as that.  

The mess I make when I'm working on projects <sigh>

A Possible Solution

We've thought about adding a shed to the back yard but they are expensive and I'm not sure that I want another shed IN my yard.  The other night, I had an idea.  It seemed brilliant - but I had to ask my hubby.  He's not a big fan of my junk collection so I didn't know how it would go.  Saturday seemed like a good day to ask.  He agreed!  I'm getting a new space for my stuff!



I'm going to save the details for the next blog.  I need to get it started and grab photos.  How does Friday sound?