While I was away....

Since my last post, I have...

1. Participated in a huge neighborhood garage sale (I learned that neighborhood garage sales are not as successful as staging an individual garage/yard sale. People don't buy right away...they want to see what your neighbors are selling before they spend)

2. Had my hard drive replaced in my less-than-one-year-old computer (fortunately it was still covered under warranty) and then the arduous task of reloading software, finding and reorganizing all of my files (thank God for Bethanie and Dan!) and restoring my publishing program.

3. Went to watch these guys play (Game 4).......

in our cute shoes.....

and then cheered them when they won the Stanley Cup.......

and went to the parade with 375,000 of our favorite friends (the parade route passed right in front of the church!)......

It was a great year for Pittsburgh sports teams. Thanks Pens-WE LOVE YA!

4. Signed up to take this on-line class at Big Picture Scrapbooking from one of my favorite people, Jenni Bowlin. Re-purpose, Re-think, Re-invent. Oh yeah, I'm all over that subject! I've never taken one of the big classes from this site but I'm sure I will have fun learning from a master.

I also signed up for this very cute swap.....We can all use a little Christmas in July, right? (You will need to click the tag in my side bar to go to the site...I'm having trounble today with linking)

5. Spent hours and hours looking at toilets, plumbing fixtures, shower doors and vanities as we get ready to update 3 bathrooms, at the same time. I know, I know, I will probably lose my mind over this project, but at least we are not doing the work ourselves. (I will take "before" pictures soon)

6. Aided and abetted Eric and Jane in their plan to surprise David on Father's Day with a visit which included this little treat.......

and these little treats (recipe from Family Fun Magazine).....

I admit, lies were told and deceptions were carried out but the end result was David's declaration that it was the Best Father's Day Ever!!!!!

So, I've been busy for a few weeks. I hope to be more regular with my blogging.

I missed reading my favorite blogs while my computer was down but I did do some creating (can't show you yet.....I'm doing a swap with 2 of my favorite flickr friends) and the house is clean. Now I need to tackle my studio. I have been asked to post pictures of the room where I 'work' but there are some things that have to happen in there before I can do that. (Like clearing a path-LOL!)

Sadness and frustration....

I am sitting in my husband's office at the church typing this blog post to let you know that I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. My hard drive died on Friday and I am without a computer until next Friday. This makes me sad and frustrated. Only two redeeming things about this crisis....I was still under warrenty and it will be replaced at no cost which is a major relief. The other item is that it will be interesting to see how much I can get accomplished at home with spending no time blog hopping. Hopefully, I will be back soon friends. Thank you for all your wonderful comments on my partial house tour.....until next time
xoxo
Joyce
P.S. To Marie- sadness and frustration on many levels today. We played badly and without integrity. I hope we get it back!

Welcome to our home....

I thought that I would take you on a little tour of our home....bit by bit. Don't want to overdo it in one blog post. First, the front entrance.....Come in to the foyer. The Nantucket basket poster hangs above the little white cabinet.A tin mirror by the front door to do a last minute hair check before I answer the door....YIKES!A handmade plate rack I've had for years holds two pewter chargers and Marjolein Bastin plates which are changed out every season.I've done a fair bit of stenciling in our home. This berry and vine design was done about 7 years ago. The little wooden buildings are replicas of shoppes and farms in our area. From the entryway, we'll go upstairs to the guestroom. (One of two) I am a total blue person....when I'm not being a total pink person. This room is done in blues and yellows with touches of every other color found in nature. It is a garden themed room. I collect quilts. Old quilts, handmade quilts and manufactured quilts, it doesn't matter, I love them all. This bed quilt and wall hanging are manufactured quilts. I don't have to worry about people flopping down on them, they are totally washable. The wall hanging is "Mary, Mary, quite contrary" The little pillow on the bed surrounded by some Boyd's bears says "If stress burned calories, I'd be a size 5". Isn't that the truth!

I've draped the bookcase next to the bed with a vintage table topper featuring a hand stitched bluebird. I love bluebirds...they really do make me happy.

Some things on the walls....2 "hat" birdhousesI stitched this for my Mother 38 years ago....A friend made this for me many years ago....(remember when blue & mauve was the rage?)My sister painted this tray and I just realized for the first time as I look at this picture, that I've been displaying it on the wrong end!!!!!This was the very first item I ever purchased from Etsy. It was made by Cari Kraft. JOY is one of my favorite words so I have a tendency to be attracted to things with the word joy in them.This is the top of a little step stool I purchased from a painter on Ebay. It will be a good stool for Charlie to use when he gets a little taller and needs to reach the sink.Speaking of Charlie....it's been a while since I've posted a picture. We're waiting for some new ones from Jane & Eric so I lifted this from Jane's Facebook profile. Is that a bad thing?

Hope you enjoyed this little tour. I'll show you more rooms at a later date.

Thanks for reading and commenting. I love it when you visit and let me know you've stopped by. For those who have asked about the pork chop recipe...here is the link to the recipe my cousin Rita used.

Sweet Surprise Iowa Chops. The recipe was from Midwest Living magazine. If you click the link on their website, you will see that I was the only commentor. Trust me-these are the best!