the family ranch

last saturday, we went to the family ranch

to celebrate my grandma's birthday and

to meet some cousins from texas.

this ranch is where my dad was born and raised.

my grandpa was born and raised.

and my great-grandpa as well.

it was where my great-great-grandpa homesteaded,

roughly about 150 years ago.

i would go for a week during the summer

to spend with my grandparents.

it was during hay season.

i didn't help out in the hay fields.

(luckily *grin*)

i remember helping grandma though,

getting watermelon and water

to take to my grandpa, uncles, and cousins

who were lucky enough to help.

my uncles still live there and

raise cattle.

thank for going down memory lane with me.

this is what we are doing today.

staying inside until emma has her softball game tonight.

why are the curtains all closed?

because yesterday the air conditioner

couldn't keep up. it was 5 degrees warmer inside than we had the thermostat set at.

and today?

it is going to be 10 degrees hotter.

yes, it is going to be 103 out.

so all the curtains are closed to try and

help it stay cooler in here.

hope everyone has a great day!

~ curtains to keep out the heat

~ gloves for weeding

~ a watering can

~ a sherbert treat

~ pancakes and eggs for dinner

~ home-made bluebery jelly

~

a 'new' old breakfast nook

i have had these two pieces now for

about a year.

i decided it was time to finish them.

emma was excited to help me paint!

 here they are all finished and distressed

and glazed.

i just love sitting here in the morning having breakfast,

at night while on the computer.

it has been a new favorite place.

maybe,

because it is one of the few places that is actually finished!

and cleaned...

i was also able to finish this piece of art.
i found the butterflies on pinterest here

i think it fits in nicely with the color of the church pew

on a side note,

i have been reading 'one thousand gifts'

so i thought i would post a few things that i am thankful for,

i hope everyone has a blessed and enjoyable weekend.

~ being able to open the windows the last few nights

(unheard of this time of year in nebraska)

~ a body that allows me to run and walk

~ lower then normal humidity

~ projects finished

~ water sprinklers and pivots

i am linking to

in the studio sneak peek at studio jru

thrift store make-over at jen rizzo

country visitors

one thing that i have really enjoyed

while living here on the farm,

is our country visitors.

while i do enjoy having friends over for coffee,

the visitors i am talking about is

the animal variety.

there have been our share of the bad types.

skunks.

snakes...in our basement.  yuck.

black widow spiders.

and cute little ground squirrels who thought our yard was their playground.

100's of holes they have dug.

not real easy getting rid of them.

anyway.

here are some of our favorites.

this 'ant' is about 1 inch long.

we were told that they will go into the underground bee hives and

eat the larvae.

a robin nesting in our cherry tree

young raccoons in our cherry tree.

can you see them?

rabbits that have their young in my flower gardens

this little fella kept attacking the side mirror

on my husband's fuel truck.

we have been lucky enough to see a great horned owl twice in

the last 5 years but unfortunately no pictures.

however we were blessed to get a photo of this snowy owl

last winter.

and of course, deer.

the top two we saw just last week.

and guess what?

they also liked our cherry trees!



the studio is finished.....finally

my studio took much longer to finish then i thought.

i wanted to create instead of putting things away.

in their proper place.

but since this place is so much smaller than

what i had before, i really need to organize everything.

i have to say that this has become my favorite room in the house.

where i go if i am in a bad mood or if i am having a bad day.

a sanctuary.

my daughter even has enjoyed this room.

there is actually room for her to create right beside me.

so without much more blabbing,

welcome!

(you can click on the photos to make them larger)

my studio is right off the kitchen.

the door is only a couple of inches bigger then 2 foot.

so instead of hanging a door, i though the best way to close it off from the rest of the house

i hung a curtain.  a vintage barkcloth curtain.

(the view as you walk in)

 a wall just for artwork and vintage items.

(vintage ladder holding baskets of ribbon and my aprons)

this cabinet was in the basement of the farmhouse when we bought it.

brought it up, painted it and distressed.

this door leads to our daughter's room.  it is closed off on her side.

i wanted a place to store canvass that were done or were waiting to be finished.

i just strung some twine to keep them from falling.

(chandelier that i found last year at goodwill.  for $10)

(my work station)

thanks so much for visiting!

now off to create, without wondering where something is!

have a great weekend everyone!

i'm linking to in the studio-sneak peek friday

and to jen rizzo- my favorite project

and to funky junk interiors

picture perfect rooms

touchs of yellow

i have always loved yellow.

from sunflowers,

to sunsets,

and even campfires.

yet i didn't have much more than

just a stitch of yellow

in our home.

so for the last 6 months or so,

i have been adding yellow to

our humble abode. 

here are some of my favorite yellow touches.

i took off our kitchen cabinet doors and placed vintage wallpaper

on the back.

in my studio,

i painted this buffet that belonged to my great grandparents.

a chair that my daughter found at a garage sale

a couple of years ago for $2.00.

she just recently decided that she doesn't like yellow anymore.

it now sets by our east window.

love how the morning light makes it glow.

here is the first punch of yellow i added.

just covered an old lamp shade with burlap.

added felt leaves,

and an yellow flower.

thanks for stopping!

i am linking up to studio jru color your world challenge.

be sure to go and see how others have used yellow

in their world.