Summer...So Far...!

June is gone, and the better part of July is behind us.  And what have I got to show for it?  Well, not a whole lot.  I do a little yard work...and then I get bored with that.  Then I come in and do a little house work...and I get bored with that.  Then I go back out into the yard...and well, the vicious cycle continues.  Ever have those days?  I seem to be having quite a few lately!

The yard work seems to be never ending!  And winter was NOT kind to my yard.  This corner was overtaken by weeds and blackberry bushes!  It's been cleared and I'm in the process of fixing it up as a focal point with some soothing sounds of running water.

And then there was this corner!  Honestly, I think the weed fairy visited us last winter!  I have never had this happen before.  This corner has always been a utility corner with no grass and just mulch.  I have since pulled all the weeds and working at "prettying it up".  I'm putting in a little brick pad for the compost bin, putting in a little flower bed to the left of the A/C unit and a rock bed under the faucet.  (I couldn't even GET to the faucet without being attacked by blackberry bushes!)  The rest will be seeded.

The summer hasn't been all work, though.  We started the season off with a cookout.  Then we fired up the Chiminea and enjoyed S'mores for dessert.  You can see the weeded corner in the back.  Looks so much better than prior photo!  I have a guy coming out to grind up the tree stump in front of the old, broken chair.  The chair has since been removed, as have the corner azalea plants.  Water fountain going in that corner.  And some plants.  But there again...I work a little and get bored with it! UGH!

And then there have been the hikes.  My favorite was up to the top of Rattlesnake Ridge.  It is absolutely gorgeous up there!  That's me and my son-in-law.  It's a 2 mile, sometimes rocky trek up 1,100 feet, and I was pretty worn out by the time I got to the top!  But it was so worth it!  My other hikes since have been a bit tamer.  :)

Justin, my youngest, and a rising senior, attended a Robotics Camp at his high school and discovered...or I should say "confirmed" his calling.  On the last day of the camp, parents were able to attend to see the various robots made by each group.  There were four kids in each group and Justin's group decided to build and program their robot to draw a large smiley face on the poster board.  They all built the robot and Justin did the programming.  He ended up mentoring others at the camp, many of which were middle school students.

And then we visited Western Washington University.  This is where my daughter went  It's such a beautiful campus and not too big...only about 15,000 students.  I love the campus and always felt my daughter was safe here.  It's about 100 miles away, so not too bad a drive when coming home for the weekend.  I think this is Justin's top choice.  At least, I HOPE it is!

So, not too much been going on, but been keeping busy.  Vacation comes in August when I'll be driving cross country to North Carolina.  I expect to be gone about three weeks.  We'll be driving straight there, but planning to do some sightseeing on the drive back.

And, I finally started working on a project that I HAVEN'T gotten bored with!  I started cleaning OUT my craft room.  Every year I go through and clean and organize the mess!  And believe me, IT GETS EXTREMELY MESSY!  But this year I decided it was time to de-stash once and for all!  I started listing a ton of stuff over on Overstock Craft Supplies, and stuff has been flying out the door ever since!  I have supplies that date back to the early 90's!  A lot of great stuff and a lot of supplies that are probably not even made anymore!  I'M happy...my husband's happy...even the CAT is happy (saw him curled up in the closet where boxes had been stacked).  LOL!  And soon I'll be listing tons more stuff (non-supplies) over on its sister site, Terrific Treasures and Fantastic Finds.  OH MY!  I love these two sites and have become totally addicted!!

I also have a bunch of tole books, patterns, and craft and quilting magazines listed, as well.  If you are not a member of these sites, check out my Olde Annie Primitives Face Book page to see what I have available.  "Like" the page to keep up with what I'll be listing.

And finally, Harley would like to say hello.  It's been a while since he's been on here and he's feeling a little bit slighted.  I took this photo when I found him pondering over which toothbrush was his!  Oh, Harley!

Well, that's my mid-summer update!  Not sure if I will make it back before my trip back east.  If not, hope you all have a wonderful remaining summer!  See you some time in August!  ~~Annie