While I Was Out

It's rather obvious that I took a long break from the blog. One of my resolutions for 2014 is to post no less that twice a week. I'm thinking there is someone out there who will hold me to that, you know who you are.

 Since January is half way through I better get going! Let's get caught up on some of the major things that happened these past three months. I think the best way to do this would be using bullet points. I heart bullet points, don't you? They make a list look so nice and neat and organized. That said I like lists too, especially checking things off the list as I get them done. That reminds me I need to get the list of house goals for this year typed up. Mr. B works so much better when he knows what needs to get done, even more so if I prioritize them. As usual I'm rambling again. Let's get to that list. 

The high-lights for November - January are as follows:

• We celebrated three holidays and two birthdays, all of which there were homemade gifts involved. Gus, Gaggle, Girly might have it's first ever guest post involving one!
• We went to a Packer game. It snowed the whole time, a magical day at Lambeau Field. 
• Mr. B said that the house this year was the most Christmas-y house he has ever lived in. We were going to host Christmas Eve this year, and I wanted the house festive!
• My grand plans for a prime rib dinner fell through this year, but we still were able to spend the holiday with family. There might be an excuse for one next month, I know someone with a birthday coming up.
• I completed four quilts. Two that I was commissioned to make. Not to mention a cupcake gig, and another one on the docket for this weekend. 
• Gus and Mr Erwin have become good friends and snuggle buddies.
• It got cold last week, really cold. Like Mr. B agreed to keep the geese in the basement cold. Like kitchen pipes froze cold. One burst, that was not a fun evening. 
• I got a new sewing machine! 

Erwin

Last week Friday we brought home the newest addition to our family. Why am I waiting till a week later to tell you this story? Well I wanted to make sure this story had a happy ending. You never know what its’ going to be like when you bring a cat home and expect your dog to be OK with it. The dog that has been an only child his whole life. The dog who loves to chase cats. The dog who goes nuts when Mr. B pretends to be holding a kitty. Yes we brought a cat home to that dog.

I had been looking around for a kitten. Don’t judge me, but a wanted a cheap or free kitten. I had been looking for a few weeks going back and forth on the whole thing. You know it’s a free kitty then it’s the shots and the vet visits and of course we would get him/her fixed. I don’t need no grand babies anytime soon. Then I thought hey, why not try the humane society. They always have lots of cats, and they go home already fixed and with their shots. Wouldn't you know, last week they were having an adopt-a-thon. They had too many cats.

So Friday night we drove to the city to look at cats, I was prepared and had already submitted our application for pre-approval. As long as we picked out a kitty that was already fixed we could take him/her home that night. (saves us a trip). On the way there we noticed the MINI wasn't running quite right. Ok not a biggy make an appointment and Mr. B would drop her at the shop tomorrow. We were thinking the clutch was starting to slip. Well we get almost there and it is apparent the clutch isn't just slipping, it’s almost shot. NOT GOOD.

How does this happen? Well, probably a combo of Mr B driving it like a race car, the previous owner, and well um me resting my foot on the clutch. In my defense even though my instructor was great in teaching me to drive a manual, luv you honey, he never told me not to rest my foot. How am I supposed to know something that was never told to me!

We were able to make it to the humane society. Since we were there Mr. B had me go inside to pick out the cat while he made some calls to have the MINI towed to the shop and find us a ride home. I have an awesome husband, I know! There were so many fur babies to choose from. How was I to pick. I looked at some kittens and meet with them one on one in the adoption room. They were soo tiny and a tad on the skittish side. I talked with the staff member about wanted a laid back sociable cat. She suggested one a five month old male, we met with him and I fell in love. 

We decided to name him Erwin, after the physicist Erwin Schrodinger. Letting our geek flag fly just a tad on that one. The paperwork was completed and Mr. B had made the arrangements for the car. The three of us took a taxi home and the car was towed to the shop. Then it was time for the boys to meet. 

Obviously since I’m here telling you this story it has a happy ending. How happy? Well only time will tell how awesome it will get having two fur babies in our house. But let’s just say when I got home yesterday they were both taking a nap on the bed. Yes sleeping in the same space together, willingly.  

And how's the car you may ask? Almost $1000 later the MINI is back in tip-top shape.

Carving Pumpkins

Last weekend when the fam was over for Harvest Dinner, Nana was kind enough to provide pumpkins for all of us to carve.

Yes that's Larry and Eugenia in the background. They don't have any fall clothing, or summer for that mater. They have been hanging out au natural. Perhaps they need some camo since goose season is open..

Some of us were to busy watching foot ball to bother with pumpkins. Or don't like to touch the gooey insides (Mr. B).

This belongs to the self proclaimed un-crafty sista.

Can you tell what it is?

 

Not a bad cat for an un-crafty carving free hand.

DIY Planter Box Centerpiece and Burlap Runner

As promised, more details on the burlap table runner and planter box centerpiece.

I've been seeing allot of this look on Pinterest; I thought it would would be perfect for our ginormous table. And this was totally something I could do on the cheap for our dining room. 

I bought a few 1x4s and gave my basic instructions to Mr. B of what I  wanted, I was going to do it myself but no sooner would I have gotten the out the saw and stated my first cut then he would have rushed it to do it for me. I was saving us a step. I asked him to build me a three sided box with a bottom that was 38ish inches long and primitive, no fancy mitered corners etc.

He got it spot on. He filled in the screw holes and gave it a quick sand. Then that's were I come in. I picked up some of the sample size jars of paint in the oops section, fifty cents a piece, total score! So I had a shade of white and a rust color. Using mainly white with just a tiney-tiny corner of my brush in the rust to give it some depth and antique-y look, I gave it a few coats of paint. Then I took the sander and roughed it up along the edges. Finally I took some stain and went heavy on the exposed wood and gave the rest of the paint a wipe down with it, you know to complete the aged look. 

I filled it with a garland of leaves and some blue mason jars. I filled the jars with corn. Everyone has a 50lb bag of whole kernel corn laying around their house don't they? If you don't I suggest you run off to your nearest farm supply store and purchase one. Best $11 investment; you never know when the need might arise. You know to feed your critters, make bags for corn hole toss, or use in your totally amazing fall centerpieces. Once the jars were filled I topped them each off with a tea-light to complete the look. 

As far as the table runner. It is as simple as cutting your burlap to size and gently fraying the edges. Easy-peasy. I do have a bit left over. I bought three yards so my runner would be a continuous strip (my table is 8 feet long, three yards is 9 feet, 6 inches of over hang on either end). It comes in 40 inch widths and I only needed it a foot long. I better start stalking Pinterest for some more crafts.

Autumn in the Dining Room

After three years in our house, I decided it was time to start decorating for the seasons. I started to to this last winter with my giant snow flakes and sweater pillows. But I haven't done anything seasonal since then. The Harvest Dinner this past weekend gave me some motivation. I decided to stick with one room, baby steps people. I can't go all out at once and have my entire house festive including the bathroom towels, you know who I'm talking about Mary. I decided to tackle the dinning room. It was a harvest dinner, the main event would be eating. 

With out further ado I give you the end result.

Fall vignette set up on the buffet, check.

Bunting banner over the mirror, check.

Handmade farmhouse table, check.

Restyled thrift store chairs, check.

Burlap table runner and rustic centerpiece, check. (more on this tomorrow)

Take that Pinterst!

Catching Up

It's been awhile. Like almost two weeks awhile. It's not that I have nothing to share with you. Oh there has been lots happening around here. Mr B and I have been busy turning our to do-list into a to-done list. I haven't had the camera out, nor the ambition to write something. It seems like we have been go go go from the time we get home till the time we go to bed. But now that the list is relatively small I think we shall be able to catch up on things.

You see my family was here Sunday for a 'Harvest Dinner' and I can get slightly neurotic about having people over. Let's just say I was barely holding it together on Friday night, then the drill slipped and I caught my finger. Full out sob fest. Like sitting on the floor balling my eyes out snot running out of my nose holding my wounded finger. All the while Mr. B is calmly sweeping up letting me cry it out. That man is my rock, I don't know what I would do without him. But let's keep that between you and me. OK. Don't worry I pulled my self together, almost to lose it Sunday morning frosting a cake, that in Mr. B's words we were just going to cut and eat any way. But I wanted it to look like the picture, not the corners crumbling in, barely held together by sticky gooey icing. I want everything to be perfect. I blame my mother, but mainly pinterest, and the create channel. 

While I sit here now eating my beets. (yes just a bowl of beets for dinner. I truly am becoming my mother) You know I had a nice pail of the last of the garden put together Saturday. It was sitting outside by the garden. All I could think about at work today was coming home and having fresh garden beets. While silly me I shouldn't have left it all outside. The geese got to it. Don't tell but I scavenged the pile to find a few beets that hadn't been chewed on. They are delicious. Now wonder the geese and probably the squirrels like them. 

But any way, sitting here eating by beets it all seems trivial. My family isn't going to care if my registers are painted oiled bronze including the screws, or my fall vignette is set up. Nope not one bit. So guys thanks for coming Sunday and not minding that I never got around to scrubbing the toilet!! 

Trio

Over the weekend our quartet of geese became a trio. We came home Friday evening after an enjoyable family dinner to find we were missing a goose. We did a quick scan of the yard hoping the missing bird was hiding somewere. 

Not so, Arlo is no longer with us.

He has been burried in the goose graveyard, near the apple trees. Several of his flight feathers have been added to the memeoral with all the other geese I have loved and lost.