365: week 34

233/365:

Happy 1st Birthday sweet Aiden!

234/365:

It's an eclipse kind of day. We made it outside several times to enjoy the view.

235/365:

For the longest time I really disliked taking I-17 to work. Then I realized I could shave a few minutes off my morning commute and I decided I could probably tolerate it. Just because .. I check the map on my phone every morning as I'm leaving the house. Not that accidents don't wander into my path even then ...

236/365:

Do you love clocks as much as I do? Are you as cheap as I am? As much as I like them ... I won't buy a big one. I'll maybe take some pallets, put them together, draw some circles, add some paint and then see if I can get something to keep time. I'm still working on the keeping time thing. It's really just resting here until it moves out of the house. In the meantime, I get to enjoy it!

237/365:

Moving on up to the north land. Good bye and good luck party.

238/365:

Once in a while they play nice together. Most often these two, who are the eldest boys of their families, spend their time trying to be alpha. Maybe they each feel as if they're top dog at Papa and Nana's house. I don't know. It just gets a bit challenging sometimes. And then they surprise you!

239/365:

My goal for the day. Oh my. Who ever thought a side by side fridge/freezer was a good idea anyway.

365: week 33

226/365:

After a quiet night on the water, the kids joined us the next day. We have found a cove that we will call ours for the next many family picnics. The bright side is that unless you're able to get across the lake ... you won't be joining us. Perfect play place.

227/365:

Wyatt doesn't know what that music belongs to as the ice cream truck makes its way around the neighborhood. Being as they are soon leaving ... it was safe to introduce him to the yummy treats that come with that sound. If I was a really sweet Nana, I might have change sitting around here in a jar just for the occasion when the music travels down our street. Maybe someday!

228/365:

Sometimes you just have to relive a day .. over and over. Our boys live too far away to be joining us on the special outings, but the girls don't! Found a selfie on my cell phone after Sunday at the lake.

229/365:

Pure delight out there in the water. Tarron is an avid fisherman .. he's always game to hit the water with a line anytime. The big tube gets more of a workout floating around the cove piled with little people than it does getting pulled.

230/365:

I think this was the last of it. Finally!

231/365:

Between canning peaches and whatever else goes on around here, I've been make trees from felt. Must have cut miles of felt ... twisted them around wire and formed trees out of them. Will have to remember to share a finished photo with you.

232/365:

I pulled into the mall parking lot on a mission. Quick in and out if I was lucky. Some nice little sporty BMW was just pulling out of this space. Apparently he needed some new shoes and was above disposing the old ones in any way that might be considered mature. Behavior certainly didn't match his car. Maybe his trunk can't even be soiled with the likes of these. Go figure.

I hear my mom's voice in my head every time I'm tempted to leave a grocery cart anywhere else other than the cart corral! Imagine the words she'd have for me if I dropped my shoes in a parking lot.

365: week 32

I've sort of been busy. Imagine that I might have time to play with photos and maybe even do some more blogging sometime after Christmas! I meet people everyday who are unable to leave their homes, or even function inside their own walls, due to health conditions. I'll say I am blessed beyond measure to be so busy that I can't get to the grocery store.

I've had these photos loaded and waiting for time to sit and write for quite a while. Since the next few posts ... I've not managed my photo a day thing. Serious bummer. Maybe I'll go find some photos and at least capture life through the missing month or more. It sure is fun to print the book at the end of the year and tuck it on the shelf.

219/365:

We are back on the water again. Finding minutes in our busy days to spend out there might be a bit challenging, but this was one fun Sunday afternoon. We had a boat before we moved away. One day Jari was on his constant Craigslist search and found our exact same boat for sale in Flagstaff. We really tried to buy that one back. In the end ... the owners decided to keep it and we found another one. Exact same boat ... just a different color. And we have taken to the water. The first day out I have to say I sighed. Real. Big. I had forgotten how relaxing it can be just doing nothing. 

220/365:

Delightful.

221/365:

Sometimes it is fun to just watch these two. Someone totalled Tia's car for her.Which means I gave mine up to her ... the search is on with dad showing her what she needs to avoid in the search.

222/365:

This book sat on my audio wait list at the library for a very long time. I finally got it and have to say I highly recommend.

223/365:

We have the sweetest neighbors ever. They happen to have an unused minivan ... I'm feeling kind of young again. Just a wee bit quieter than back in my other life.

224/365:

They're still hanging around ... oh my. Maybe I over ordered. Maybe not.

225/365:

There's time on the water with kids and grandkids ... and then there's time on the water with just the two of us. The bunks on the boat trailer needed to be replaced and after a failed attempt to hoist the boat ... the best option seemed to be pay for a slip at the lake while the trailer got fixed. We parked the boat there for 3 weeks while Jari did some work when he had moments. One night we headed out and spent the night on the boat at the marina. A bit toasty yet .... because I think this is way back on August 11th. Thank goodness for a slight breeze or sleeping might have been a wee bit sticky. Big benefit of marina life ... restrooms. Serious benefit! On the flip side ... not necessarily quiet. Waves rocked us all night long and I was still rocking Monday at work as I walked. Pure good stuff.

365: week 31

Up until this point, I have been posting these daily (hah ... not!) posts to Instagram and copying them here. Since the last post, I have not posted to Instagram. I can't manage to do it on a daily basis, and it is also apparent that I can't even handle a weekly basis! So in the next few weeks ... I am going to catch up on some life around here ... all from my phone. Somewhere in the middle I hope to get some photos of some fun crafting and some really fun photos I have found on my camera lately.

Let's see if I can manage!

211/365:

Jari spent some time with Pete Nordstrom, traveling the country on speaking trips with him. Pete and Sylvia were good friends of Jari's parents. This book has been a companion in our car when we're traveling to and from somewhere and we have enjoyed it immensely. Available on Amazon if you have a yen to reach back into your fondest memories of a most unforgettable man.

212/365:

Life has been a bit nuts. I don't know why but it has. We finally found a Sunday to spend in Prescott and were blessed with this amazing view as we headed home in the evening.

213/365:

Somedays the socks can't even manage to get put on correctly in the morning.

214/365:

Sadness is filling our hearts. Anna & Wylon took off driving to Williston, North Dakota today with their first load of stuff. I know we have stuff .. they might almost rival us They will be moving their family to chilly country in September. Although we will miss them desperately, we wish them nothing but the best. We have certainly done the same .. traversed our way to and fro across the country ... following dreams and doing what we felt was the best for our family. So we are going to enjoy having them close every minute we can.

215/365:

Crafting night was planned this evening and ended up being cancelled due to storms and power outages ... and then the hearty ones went and crafted once the power was back on. Before that tho', I had some wood to cut while praying the clouds would hold off for just long enough. I made it!

216/365:

36lbs of Colorado peaches made their way into my kitchen today. The middle box was for Anna ... the rest were mine and I greedily kept them all. Delicious!! Last year, mine weren't nearly as good as this year. I may have lost one peach by the time I was done .. the rest were eaten, canned, frozen ..... a little at a time.

217/365:

It is still horribly warm outside. I can only handle being out there until noon if the humidity isn't sky high. I must have been weeping the blues about the lack of something in the tool aisle at Home Depot cuz the dear hubby came home with all kinds of prizes for me! He's a good one. Actually, sometimes I really have to be careful of what I say I'm needing. It might just be delivered the next day by Amazon.

See you soon with week 32 ....

365: ending 30 and 31

199-202/365:

Play time! 

This is therapy for me and if I am very fortunate, I get about 10 hours a week of this activity .. at this time of year. By noon I can't handle being outside anymore.

Keeping cool. 

Last year we had a misting system that was very cheap and ineffectual for the most part. All it did was drench the patio furniture. And we had an above ground pool. This year we have neither and have managed to survive just fine!

Rainy morning.

In the cockpit and ready to fly. 

202-206/365:

#sunrise

This little picture doesn't capture how stunning it really was. Those clouds!

So many ideas ... so few weekend days to accomplish them!

Hanging up 15# of lead at the end of the day. 

... and this is the light one!

We have roots!

Gwen sent me a super cute idea for planters. Coming up sometime after I clean up my pallet pile ... along with some concrete play time.

207/365:

Do you think he will qualify me for the carpool lane?

Seriously I have never been this close to a bee unless they were attacking me and then I wasn't standing still to snap a photo.

208/365:

When you get lost on Facebook for a few too many minutes.

Except for the burnt parts ... it was really good!

Cajun Chicken Pasta Skillet from I Am a Baker on Facebook. Tia wrote down the list of ingredients for me and I winged it. If you are a person who doesn't need ingredient amounts and feel comfortable winging it:

Chicken breast cut into pieces

Salt, Pepper and cajun seasoning mixed with chicken pieces and cooked in oil.

Add: red bell pepper, onion, garlic

Add: chicken broth, noodles, heavy cream and monterey jack cheese

They cooked the noodles in the chicken broth in the skillet. I would cook them separately the next time around. Or not get lost on FB for a few too many minutes.

209/365:

My 260 degree world.
Somedays I yearn for a BHG or Country Living existence. One where everything is so darn cute and put together that you just want to never leave it. I see photos of yards .. and I visit them .. where everything is so neat and tidy. The lawn is perfectly green. The patio furniture is perfect. The plants are well tended. They look so inviting! And then I come home. I put my work clothes on .. haul out tools from here and there and get to work. Because as much as I love those other places (and mine can clean up well) I love this more. Way. More.

Panoramic photos sort of make tables bowed. In reality .. it might not look like that.

210/365:

Perpetual inefficiency ... year after year after year.
I wonder if those super duper efficient houses have living people in them. Or perhaps they are all escaping the heat and have gone to cooler climates for the summer. All I know is that it doesn't mater if we have our 3 little selves here or an extra family ... we always qualify for inefficient.

This nearly rounds out our July. We really haven't gone anywhere this month or done anything exciting. Just sorta lived it. Waiting to see what August brings!

365: week 29

191-194/365:

Racing the clock home. My map said 38 minutes. #iwon

Adding a trip to this local dairy to the wanna go and do list ... wouldn't the little boys have so much fun?

Inventory time again. #needtoplanbetter.

I might have the best neighbor ever. #loadsofprojects
Then one day he peeks his head over the fence and tells me they are planning on moving this fall. That means they are cleaning out stuff and he has loads of it for me. Free for the taking. I see no rest in sight for this woman! Did you count the pallets? 8 of them!!

195-198/365:

Pallet demo. 

I know some of you use a fancy little pallet puller. I don't. I use a sawzall ... actually I use several of them. I use one until it gets hot. Then I use another one until the battery dies .... Then I run around with my magnetic little tool and pick up the metallic leftovers.

Time to go grocery shopping when you're running out of bags for dirty diapers! 

About once a year I end up tossing grocery bags into the trash because they won't fit in my little green dollar store basket. Lately you can tell the size of the family around here. The bag pile is getting smaller and smaller ..

So lucky to have a short visit with our dear Charlene!

She popped in for a few hours one Sunday afternoon to visit between her family visits and doings. So lucky!!

Uh oh. 

Really? I am suppose to keep calm?!

365: week 28

187-190/365:

Racing the clock home. My map said 38 minutes. #iwon

Adding a trip to this local dairy to the wanna go and do it list.

Inventory time again. #needtoplanbetter

I might have the best neighbor ever. #loadsofprojects

The map on my phone and I are serious travel companions. I check that thing every morning when I leave the house and every day when I leave work. Not from one campus to the other, but home at the end of the day. If there is an accident bogging up a freeway ... I would prefer to know about it. And sometimes I try to race the time. Actually, I'm trying to figure out which way is the fastest regardless of what the map says. Like 1 minute makes a difference?!

If you work in a hospital, or any place else, that does inventory ... aren't you just thrilled at that time of year? Somehow I need to plan my vacations better.

For the past week I noticed a nice size pile of pallets at the neighbors. When things get set next to the curb it usually means "free for the taking". But I'm shy. I hate to ask for anything. I screwed up courage and took Tia with me. He is a super nice guy who throws wood over the fence for us to use. Like, seriously? He's the reason I wait until a sort of reasonable hour of the morning to run power tools in the back yard. Being as his bedroom window is 15 feet from my chop saw I really want to keep the peace. I knocked on the door and he said "take as many as you like!" with the biggest smile on his face. And I liked all but one. They came home and I really couldn't handle looking at them just sitting there. They seriously were calling my name. So I started cutting them apart until so much sweat was running down my forehead that my eyes were burning and my hands had brand new blisters decorating them. Then it was time to move inside.

Off to the back bedroom and the sewing machine after finding my stash of denim. Use It Up is my motto right now. I really don't create on demand. I kind of have to be in the mood and currently I've been in the mood for making bags. I have oodles of bags pinned on Pinterest, but kind of like this one the best as far as patterns and size of bag. Seriously fun. Heavy bags that have a nice wide bottom. Good for a run to the grocer if you don't need those little plastic grocery bags to line your trash cans or hold dirty diapers. Perfect for the library ... they're heavy enough to hold a good size pile of books. Good for all kinds of little expeditions and explores.

All are fully lined. I just need to start adding pockets to the insides of them. 

Do you love the fraying look on this one? I pieced the strips together and tossed them through the washing machine and dryer before I put the bag together. Just snipped off the fraying pieces of fabric and started cutting and sewing.

The denim pile is still happening .. I'll have more opportunity to add pockets.

We shall see what the next week brings! Probably a clock ... a key holder ... an island ... an entry table ... whatever I can manage before the day runs out of hours. Whatever doesn't get managed will just hold over until the next week or the week after that.

Enjoy!

365: week 27

183/365:

Costco for #easylunch. Rotisserie chicken and a ceasar salad makes for pure easy and pure good.

Nasty creature found his way into our empty aquarium. I'm saving him for Jenny when gets back from vaca.  Seriously. Those things are disgusting. I'm afraid he didn't get rescued.

Gone are the days of fighting crowds and sweating. We hit the house roof and saw not much of anything. #happyfourthofjuly

Growing me some trees .. one branch at a time.

I actually spent most of the 4th playing with crafting stuff. Working at making some wooly trees and who knows what else. But for the moment we will stick with the trees. The tutorial for the trees can be found here on YouTube. I would seriously love to go see the shop someday. While they are using wool or something very high in wool content ... mine is a little less so. The shop was out of the kits online so I worked at figuring it out myself and probably adapted things a little. 

I tried several different weights of wire and I think I've settled on something I actually like. A lot of cutting and gluing action but no hot glue gun on this project! My fingers thank the creator of the tree.

Aren't they just the cutest?! This one still needs some fabric wrapped around the tree trunk, but I plan to have many more of these coming soon.

187-190/365:

#mylittleloves 

Seriously it is like having a set of twins around. They are so cute!!

I got so excited when I saw PFD .. then remembered I don't live in Alaska anymore and it means something entirely different. Jari picked up some life vests for the little boys. Have a bit of a work in progress going on in the backyard at the moment. Hoping to have her sea worthy and needing the jackets real soon.

#familydays are the best ever. The girls spent several days, in shifts, with me rearranging the living room. It finally feels like a space that is comfortable and not overcrowded. The almost best part? I ended up with a shelving unit and a desk in our extra bedroom. It really doesn't qualify for a bedroom. It is so full of crafting business you can hardly put up a portacrib at the moment. But I do have a surface now for the sewing machine to live and it has sewn some fantastic miles while I try hide from this beastly summer heat.This particular Saturday Alyx cooked for all of us. Crockpot enchiladas which were super yummy! And the dog? She isn't ours but if the owners ever want to get rid of her? She can come here in a heartbeat. 

#keepingitreal  Double trouble with mac 'n cheese. 

That's about it for that week! I spent part of it on vacation and crafted as much as I possibly could. My plan had been to go to Heber for the weekend ... and that didn't go as planned. Maybe someday I will manage that one. In the meantime ... I'm keeping out of trouble and staying busy!

Enjoy your summer!

365: week 26

177/365:

#vacationfun

Oops. I'm posting backwards. Post about what I did with frames can be found here. Seriously .. loads of therapy in this pile right here.

178/365:

Dinner menu = mutton.

Tia has had us playing Settlers like crazy. 6 nights in a row ... 3 games each night. We may have missed a night, but we're wearing out the game this week.Who needs dinner anyway?

179/365:

Maybe it would be fun to go shopping/lunching together but this ... melts my heart.

My daughter is a girl after my own heart. She's as creative and crafty as I love to be. If someday she finds a guy to share her world, I hope he'll understand as well as her dad does.

180/365:

Cruising through farming country. #crafty #rugsforfun #countrylovin

This one is for you Jane! Remember all those little 2 inch squares you cut for me? I used them and cut many more to make this little rug. I have so much cow print that I don't know what I'm going to do with it all. Alyx drew me a cow spot shaped rug and I added on squares and squares and squares. Looks downright cute inside the teeped I made with some of it.

181/365:

Perfect day for ham bone soup and homemade peasant bread. #theonlybreadicanmake

I use to make a lot of peasant bread. One loaf that requires no kneeding and not much of anything else but is pure deliciousnes. Fresh bread with homemade soup. 

182/365:

Sadly ... a Pinterest fail. #ontothenextone

365: week 25

170-173/365:

When your glasses lose one of those nose protector thingamajigs.

Beating the heat with a hot glue gun.

I'll park a mile away to get the shade of one good tree.

5:34 a.m. still counts for Thursday right?

Alyx and Tarron went to Alaska for a loonng weekend and we did a little bit of child tending over here. Dominic (bottom right of top photo) was being weaned ... doesn't take a bottle .. and really likes his mom. I will admit that I was incredibly thankful that Tia is still living at home. Whew! The first night with this little man was a bit interesting and a lot sleepless. By the time morning rolled around tho', I had him figured out. He was mad as a hornet and pitches an 8 month old fit like a raging 3 year old when he wants his mom and not his nana.

The rest of the time went famously. We got sleep figured out and he did great. Sebastian did a great job of being a big helper and he is mighty fun and easy to have around. We kept the boys until Sunday when they went to their own home to spend time with their other grandma until the parents came home.

174/365:

We got this!

I have a new lens on my camera and haven't downloaded photos for a good while. It is full of pictures of these little muchkins .. Tia is a bit of a shutterbug.

175/365:

Then men's section at #targetoptical. Really?!

In our quest to find out why dear hubby has had a headache for a month ... we headed for an eye exam. Checking all the boxes .. one at a time. Except for needing reading glasses, his vision is 20/20. Go figure. He does have a "freckle" somewhere close to the optic nerve that we are going to see a retinologist about. Maybe that is causing a problem?

Post retinologist - freckle is nothing to worry about. Altho' they can be melanomous (is that even a word?), his is hot diggety fine. We saw a super cool doctor. You know she's great when the pickiest patient in the entire world liked her. She learned that we had spent time in Alaska and then really wondered why he was being sent to see her. Alaska folks are tough stuff and don't end up in her chair for eye freckles. She, herself, has spent time in Alaska and is a photographer. Makes me want to hop on a house with wings ..

176/365:

If I drink a pbj smoothie while reading the Christmas issue of #countryliving ...

Blended PB&J

1 scoop protein powder (recipe calls for vanilla whey ... I used peanut butter non whey)
1-2 tbsp creamy peanut butter
2 tsp raspberry jam (home made is best)
1/2 c frozen mixed berries
1 cup ice

Blend until smooth and enjoy!

******************************

Week 25 is done and over with. Almost to the halfway mark of the year. Where on this good earth is time going and what is happening to it??!