Need a Hay Boy in your field?

Flyers that Sten posted at a few locations - he wasn't crazy about the rooster, but I insisted.

Hay Boy mowing for hours. He says he's never seen so many mice, snakes and bugs

Hay boy's schedule - Scott has a "thing" for dry erase boards, so this is now posted in our kitchen

Not a bad view from the driver's seat - Hay Boy's daddy sweating and stacking

I think a shower's in order . . . be thankful this is not a scratch-n-sniff picture

#1 direction giver to the truck backer upper, hook up to the trailer girl.

RU A Nerd?

Ok, I'm a bit of a nerd sometimes (the kids would say always) . . .

I love different fonts. I found this website that has free fonts that are fun and look like handwriting. There is a process for using these fonts on blogs, but I'm not a computer nerd, so I don't know if I have the patience to mess with it. I've already installed several for use on other programs - so if you are a fonts nerd too - you'd better take a look. Enjoy!

Yeah for Freebies!

SCREECH! That was the sound the car made when I slammed on the brakes after spotting this beauty near the road in the "free" area of a driveway. I knocked on the door and inquired if the old chair was up for the taking, and quickly slammed it in the back and headed down the road when the lady answered, "yes". It's use as a chair is expired, but it looks quite patriotic (and happy) by our front door. The paint was almost non-existent, so I slapped on some red and used the orbital sander (love that thing) to give it that weathered look. I considered selling it for just a few minutes, but I don't think I can part with this treasure.

Brand new yard ornament. Scott grabbed this out of a free pile yesterday. I guess you could call us "scroungers" - and our poor kids will be stuck getting rid of (or fighting over) all this junk someday.

Creative Headboard

I'm sorry that the quality of these pictures is so poor - I was too lazy to scan them (it is nearly midnight). However, I wanted to give a certain reader some inspiration. This is simply an old door made into a headboard - isn't it adorable? I have saved this article since 2001 because I loved everything about this room. Notice the extra molding on the top of the door.

They even made small (I mean itsy bitsy) nightstands. I think I would make something a little more substantial - one sleepy swipe to hit the snooze button and that lamp would be on the floor (wait, there isn't even room for an alarm clock, a glass of water or a book).

This was also in my file and I still LOVE this idea. A galvanized (be still my heart) chicken nesting headboard. I'm keeping my eyes peeled for one of these puppies.

I have ripped ideas out of magazines for years and many of you probably have similar files. Do you ever flip through your idea binder and scratch your head wondering what you found so special about certain things? I think I've uttered the words, "what was I thinking?" or "that's hideous!"

Not for the OCD crowd

Well, we hit an all time low in bargain shopping today. Upon a friend's suggestion, we (Susie and I) went to a Goodwill Outlet store. Instead of neatly organized racks and shelves, all merchandise is placed in these shallow bins, and wheeled out to the sales floor for customers to paw through. Pricing is per pound except for larger items such as furniture. We noticed that the "regulars" wear gloves as they scavenge in the bins. An announcement is made when they will be clearing out a row of bins. Then eager customers line up anticipating the bargains when the new bins are brought in, grabbing and storing their wares underneath blankets in their carts. We've pretty much ruled out ever going there again. Our very next stop was at a car wash where we payed 8$, parked our vehicle and walked through several times so we could rinse off the filth. I'm still itching - icky icky ucky ucky!

Susie's New Digs

And we were at the corner of Washington and Penn for what reason??

Because this adorable 1908 cottage lives there

It will soon house this girl and she will go to this school where she will learn the fine art of saying, "you will soon feel a little poke", at OHSU Nursing School.

Susie's parents bought this home and she will live there with 2 (hopefully friendly and cheerful) roommates. Classes begin in September - our kids will be going through withdrawals when she moves 6 hours away - but she has plenty of room for us to crash on her floor.

This old house has amazing details. Poor Susie is going to walk to the bathroom during the night and step in a big hole because I have stolen the floor grates . . .

Chunky molding throughout- around windows, doors and baseboard

This is my least favorite part - a dungeon with a trap door. I think I heard noises down there, and the foul smelling odor was certainly human remains - CREEPY!

Rainy Day Blues

The ONLY good thing about rain in the middle of June is the possibility of a beautiful rainbow. As I was completing the mundane task of loading the dishwasher, I glanced out the window to discover this bright (double) one that seemed to end at the pond. I donned my leprechaun booties and headed down there, but I guess it wasn't our lucky day.

Before and After - mower shroud, skirt, curtain, hangy downy thing so the hay doesn't fly everywhere. Sten and Scott have been busy getting things ready for Sten's first ever, haying season. Next year, it will be a cinch - but there have been many things to fix/get in order before the phone starts ringing. They fashioned this skirt from a heavy tarp and used rivets and rope to attach it to the frame. A replacement one was 300$, so I'm tooting their horn as big sav'n bargain boys today.

Must you take another picture? (I'm just getting started Farmer Putt Putt)

Vintage Books

I saw a group of books like this in a store and they caught my eye. DIY: find some old books, the rattier the better. Tear off the back and front covers, peeling all paper away from the spine (this is the fun part - but can be a bit messy). Display them vertically or horizontally. If the papers don't look "vintage" enough- spray with tea or coffee. Enjoy!

FYI: when looking for cheap decor - step into the dollar store for some surprising finds - I found the little bird print for 1$, and distressed it(of course), for a more unique look.

Hard at Work

I am not a terribly sentimental mommy about every piece of paper our kids create. Maren caught onto my habit of throwing things away, and she began checking in the recycling for her special artwork. It's not that I don't appreciate their talents, it's just that if we saved every precious project - we would be buried at this point under vast amounts of paper. As is always the case, I am expecting a siege of work to arrive in the last days of school. However, I thought we could digitally save some samples of their work - and I loved this one of Maren's -especially the spelling errors.

Milah's state and capital test - 100%. Hooray Milah!

Sten is enjoying metal shop and these are examples of his awesome mig welding. Apparently the key to welding is consistency and patience -

Shhh, now I will tiptoe to the recycling bin and toss them away . . . bad mommy, bad mommy

No Broken Legs

Why these? A few years ago, I bought a pair of kid's crutches at the GW, thinking that the kid's might like to play with them. I grossly underestimated HOW MUCH of a thrill they would have with these items (notice, we have more than one pair) We now have arm slings and leg/knee/wrist braces and scrubs as well. When the kid's have friends over to play - they always end up dragging the crutches out and clomping around as if wounded. Just today, a little girl called me with a request to look for more crutches, so they could have some at their house. Not to sound like a GW freak but, they are located in the tool aisle with the skis, shovels, and curtain rods- vertically displayed - happy looking!

p.s. the metal ones are better because you can quickly change the heighth and you don't have to mess with screws and wing nuts (quite handy when the munchkins are different sizes).

Cousin Crashed Us

We had a relative show up from Guam - she looked tired and hungry, so we took her in for a few days. As is always the case when she arrives, we enjoy non-stop chatter - fits of laughter, mixed with doses of reminiscing. This time we engaged in an activity we'd never done before - comparing density of gray hair (not a highlight of the visit).

We were hoping she would accidentally leave something important, so she would have to come back - 'til next year, Pam - We love you!

Al Fresco

I have a "thing" for white lights strung this way. I bought 2 packages of these string lights and was attempting to hang them out on the deck. My project came to a halt when I figured out that I was going to need many more sets to complete "the look". Also, as I was moving the ladder to a different location and pondering where I had misplaced the hammer -the missing item fell from it's perch on the top of the ladder - right on the top of my (obviously dense) head. Italian villa will have to wait 'til concussion subsides.

Summer Color

Why oh why must you munch on my flowers, please tell me Dear? or Deer? Go dine elsewhere, please - we are not accepting reservations at this time.

Due to this pesky deer issue, I look forward to planting the deck pots with delectable deer appetizers such as petunias, lobelia, geraniums, and other yummy annuals. "Look forward" is a bit of an understatement - I dream, scheme, plan, shop with glee and plant with anticipation. I am an impatient gardener and wish that I could step out tomorrow and it would be as full and beautiful as it is in the middle of July.

Our weather has been positively nasty - apparently we had more rain in one 24 hr period than we usually get for the entire month of June. Our rain gauge runneth over and over and over. Due to all this precipitation, I haven't been too eager to shop or plant flowers, but a promise of sunshine today had me seeking out some nurseries. In my haste to plant - I grabbed a trusty slotted spoon from the silverware drawer. No worries, I'll wash it real good before Sunday dinner.

Once upon a time, mi madre gave this to me for my bday (a handy little dude)- I'm usually certain to fertilize once a week, but I'm going to try a little more often this summer -

Going to Gramma's

Early this morning, we did a kid-switcheroo as all three munchkins went to spend the weekend with grandma/grandpa. I left with tears streaming down my cheeks and their poor little faces were pressed against the windows in angst as Dad rolled out of the parking lot. some facts in this story have been modified to protect the innocent

Scott and I then worked in an ice cream booth at a local fair as a benefit for the girl's school. This particular booth is known for it's enormous portions - a single scoop is about 5 large scoops of creamy deliciousness. There are no unsatisfied customers - everyone leaves with a big grin on their face, and people throughout the fair inquire about the whereabouts of such a generous cone. It is a thrill to give people their money's worth, plus more - they leave giddy and amazed. Next time, I'm going to bring my camera to capture the delight - I think ice cream brings out the kid in all of us.

Take a close look . . .

A little photoshop magic - Susie is the wizard, not me

Memorial Day

We had a chance to see Wilemina as she is up North visiting relatives for a bit. She looks just the same and it was great to give her a squeeze. We've decided that she'll definitely make her century mark as she has just under 2 years to go . . . all that hard work and clean liv'n

The girls saw 3 of 4 great grandmas on Monday - with Wilemina and Grandma Patty.

They saw Great Grandma in Salem too.

Mom and Dad had their old exposed aggregate sidewalks replaced with these pavers - it looks amazing and really adds "curb appeal"

There are strange creatures lurking in their trees . . .

Maren was wearing this prairie girl dress which I adore and she despises. Since this may be the only time I get her to wear it, I thought I'd snap some pictures.