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

T'was a Beary Good Morning!

Literally!  :)  I've been enjoying eating breakfast out on my deck this week!  It's been beautiful and the temperatures are wonderful.  I believe it was 66 degrees as I ate!  Earlier in the week, I went to our local farmer's market and picked up a flat of mixed berries and have had those for breakfast each morning.  And the toast is covered with the tart strawberry-apple jam we made as wedding favors.  It is so yummy and has no sugar!  Only three ingredients... strawberries, Granny Smith apples and frozen concen-trated grape juice!  I love this jam, as it's not overly sweet like so many tend to be.

As I sat eating my breakfast, I couldn't help but be aware of the sights and sounds of my surroundings.  I am enjoying my backyard so much this summer!  After hearing the sounds of a train in the distance, I began to clearly hear the chirping of the birds!  And then the fluttering of hummingbird wings.  They are out in groves this year!

I couldn't help but notice the beautiful (albeit small) garden next to me, filled with tomatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, cucumbers and herbs.

And then right above my head, I heard the flutter of wings again!  Aren't these amazing little creatures!

I noticed off in a distance the wisteria bush, just beginning to bloom!

And right beside me the vibrant color of my Martha Washington begonia!

After I finished my breakfast, I decided to walk around the back yard.  It's a small yard, and I'm surrounded by neighbors.  But it's a cozy back yard, and I've been able to plant lots of trees and bushes to help make it more private.  As you can see, Harley loves it out here, especially so when I'm out sitting or working in the yard.

This area is still a work in progress.  I weeded it earlier in the spring but didn't put down any bark.  For some reason, grass loves to grow here, so I need to weed again, this time putting down either newspaper or landscaping fabric before I put down bark. 

This is an old "Noah's Arc" birdhouse hiding among the hostas and day lilies.  It's held many bird nests over the years, but has seen its better days.

Another hummingbird at one of my three feeders.

One of my ingenious ideas!  LOL!  This was a decorative "wasp catcher" made from purple glass.  I bought it because it was so much prettier than those ugly yellow traps you see hanging around.  So I thought this would be a pretty way to catch a few wasps.  Not so!  Never caught a single wasp in here!  So, I thought, why not use it as a planter.  The top has a tiny opening and the bottom curls under to a larger opening.  I was able to get a long, skinny rock in the bottom hole and fit it over the large hole to hold in the dirt, but to also let the water trickle out.  I then filled it mostly full with soil and pushed a small impatient into the little hole.  Then I waited to see how long it would take for it to die!  LOL!  I was amazed to see that not only did it not die, but that it's flourishing beautifully!
 

I think this was a wonderful way to "re-purpose"! 

 I noticed for the first time that the blueberries are starting to turn!

Harley looks so content lying here!  He's enjoying the nice weather we're having!

 

This is the only squirrel I care to see in my back yard.  Actually, I haven't seen any squirrels around here in years.  Fine with me! :)  Now I DID have a raccoon cross the street in front of me when I was out taking a walk last night!  That scared me a bit!  LOL!

Every garden needs its gnome!  I call her my babushka gnome!  She makes me think of my aunts when I visited Poland years ago.  LOL!

Don't see many frogs around, either.  But I can walk a couple of blocks and hear all the bull frogs in our retaining pond!  I plan to hang this on our garden shed once I get my potting area made.

A decorative bird house I picked up from Hobby Lobby.

My neighbor's Mimosa tree is blooming beautifully.  We had to cut ours down over the winter.  I miss it and the shade it provided, but it had split and had to be removed.  So now I have to enjoy the Mimosa on the other side of the fence.

My shed...and another work in progress.  This is my one hydrangea...to the right of the shed.  It needs to be moved, as this is about all it blooms.  Also, there's an azalea bush in there that will be moved, as well.  On the left side of the shed, I plan to have hubby build me a potting bench.

Okay...I'll show you the NOT SO PLEASANT part of my back yard!  :)  This is where I want to put the potting table...along the wall of the shed.  I'm challenging hubby to build it using ONLY the boards that are stacked back there.  You can't really see it, but there is also a stack of boards up against the shed.  I really need to get to this project...especially removing that blackberry bush growing at the front corner.  They were EVERYWHERE when we first got out here earlier in the spring.  This one is coming up through those boards and I'm going to have to move them before I can dig it up!  ANYWAY...can't wait to show you the AFTER pictures!

One of the many flowering planters I'm enjoying this summer!

 Another one.

The shade and privacy my trees provide.  Love it!

I LOVE coming out here every morning!

And finally, Harley would like to wish you all a wonderful summer!  I think he was tired of my taking pictures of him and decided to stick his tongue out at me!  LOL!  Thanks for dropping by today!  Have a great weekend everyone!  ~~Annie

Great Christmas Bargains, Happy Halloween, and Hi From Harley!

First, I want to express my deepest sorrow for everyone caught in the path of Hurricane Sandy.  I have so many friends and customers in all the states that have been affected by this devastating storm.  It breaks my heart to see all the destruction, loss of homes and loss of life!  You ALL have been in my thoughts and prayers and will continue to be during the long road ahead!

I wanted to share this photo with you that my son took today as he walked home from the bus stop.  That is Harley on the right visiting his friend Puck.  Puck belongs to my son's friend.  They live three houses away and this is at their house.  Harley will often go up the road to visit Puck.  He will sit at that window next to the door waiting for someone to let Puck out to play.  I guess they were preparing for the BIG NIGHT tonight, hoping to add a little "fright" to the night!  Little do they BOTH know they will be kept INSIDE while the trick or treaters are out and about.  So no "frighting" for them!

I have just about caught up with all my fall orders.  I finished up Halloween last week and have been working this week on the last of the Thanksgiving tucks I need to make.  I still haven't been able to get to my Christmas primitives, though, and not sure when or IF I will.  Instead, I have been going through some boxes I've had packed away from the days I had a little shop back in Utah.  I am listing a bunch of these things on Ebay at great prices.  I'm trying to weed out a bunch of stuff, including Christmas decorations I use to make during my craft show days.  Here's a sampling of what I have listed.  I will be listing more tonight in between the trick or treaters.

 

So head on over to my little "craft show" on Ebay!  Lots more will be added later!

Wishing you all a Happy, Haunting Halloween!  ~~Annie

Ready for some good, sweet WATERMELON?

Well, I've been sewing up a storm!  I managed to get a few projects done for the Old Farmhouse Gathering Summer Celebration.  I hope you all have had a chance to visit all the talented artists and their special offerings for this promotion.  If you haven't, it's still going on.  Just click on the banner over there to the right (once you're done here)! ;)

I've been having fun making watermelon!  This is by far my favorite fruit...to EAT as well as to make!  Here are this year's pieces.  All have been sold, but I can remake each piece seen here.  I'm also working on patterns to each of the three hangings.  So if you're interested in any of these pieces, either drop me an email or visit my website.

 

I will be listing another watermelon birdhouse tomorrow, this time using a blue bird...
"No Crows Allowed".  Pattern coming as well.

 I love the combination in this old cheese box.  I have lots of these small vintage cheese boxes, so this one can be remade if you're interested.

I had one watermelon slice left and one yellow flower left.  VOILA!  This is a little wreath...great for a kitchen cupboard or shelf peg.

 It's not just the crows who love the watermelon.  Here's one with one of those pesky ol' bees!

This is by far my favorite piece!  Pattern for this one and one above coming, as well!

I also made a couple of Americana/patriotic pieces for the OFG summer promotion.  The Uncle Sam hat is still available in my Etsy shop.

 I love these little pinwheels!  They are nice and rustic looking, lined with Warm & Natural and hand stitched around all the edges and then nicely stained.  I can make up lots more of these pinwheels and actually have one more wood vase just like this one. 

 I usually make at least one of these each year!  This is my newest Uncle Sam hat table sitter.

And FINALLY...Harley wanted me to tell you about HIS page here on my blog.  He hopes when you get a chance you will visit him.  Just click on his picture to check out "Harley's Page".

Thanks for dropping by today!  Now whose hungry for watermelon?  HEHE!  ~~Annie