Ah Summer! 2021

 

Hello Friends!

I am still here, happy and healthy.  This summer has been a whirlwind of activity! But it has been filled with all the good things in life!! Family (lots of family visiting!), diy projects, sewing, gardening, crafting, going to the beach, porch sitting, small house projects, berry picking...... 

Last year I had a really hard time finding words..... which is one of the reasons I haven't been posting much. What was there to say about last year, except we survived? 

Last year also had me reevaluating a lot of things in life, just rethinking what direction life was going and what direction I wanted it to go. I am sure a lot of us did that!  I have been a bit on the fence with this blog. Should I let it go? I am on Instagram and really love the inspiration and creativeness of it. 

But, I have good news! 

Do you remember the Sister House I purchased last year? (aka the house next door) The renters are moving out in a few days and boy do I have plans!! I am so excited to start restoring her! So, for the time being, I will keep this blog as a way to share the renovations. So stayed tuned!

Can you believe it is already apple picking time? The little apple tree has produced a bumper crop this year! I had to buy myself an apple picker on a pole to reach them all. I haven't picked all the apples yet, I need a little time to make some pies and apple sauce first!

We haven't spent a lot of time on the front porch this year because of the construction dust! They decided this was the year to replace the road, crosswalks, driveway aprons and sidewalks. Boy, is it a mess! We will be thankful when it is done.

I finished my new quilt this spring. It has been so nice! I love how colorful it is. It was a nice comforting project to work on last year.

I was super excited to finally go blueberry picking! We found a farm that isn't too far away and Mandy and I had a lovely time. It was a beautiful, rather warm, day. Fruit trees and bushes are so beautiful.

This Spring I finished up patching over the old heat vents and rearranging trim, but I will save that for another blog post. I also did a few small projects including hanging hooks in the bathroom and floating shelves in my bedroom. Oh and I also repainted my bedroom walls a slightly darker pink!

So Friends, that has been the summer in a nutshell! 

I can't wait to share the journey of Sister House with you! 

Do you  have any big exciting projects coming up?

Apple Blossom Time 2019

It's Apple Blossom time over here! I love this time of year. And this year, I have two trees to enjoy! But we will get there in a moment....

 You don't mind way too many pictures of beautiful apple blossoms, do you? Good. I can't get enough! And alas, it is a very short season....

 The little apple tree didn't flower quite abundantly as last year. But it was a long hard winter. I am enjoying what it has!

 I'm so glad I took these when I did! Our weather has been a little more volatile then usual. The day after it was very warm and now it is back to rainy and chilly....

 The other apple blossoms I am enjoying this year, it the crab apple at the Brick House! This old tree is so huge and beautiful!

 I have been working on getting all the flower beds weeded and defined at the Brick House. It is so fun to suddenly see a shower of petals raining down!

 Mmmm… don't you love that color?

This week marks the one year anniversary of the Brick House! Even though I didn't technically buy the house this month, this is when I first looked at it and accepted the counter offer. My, what a year! I loved (almost) every minute of it! 

Apple Picking 2018

Even though my schedule is a little tight right now, I wasn't going to miss apple picking! Two weekends ago my brother, his family and I all piled into the truck and went out to the orchard. It has become a family tradition now. (When you can't remember how long you have been doing it, it is a tradition!) Part of the whole experience is the drive, about 35 minutes through country roads.

I love these old apple trees! The area we picked in the trees weren't quite as big or old as other areas. But they are still nice sized trees with plenty of apples.

 This is my little apple tree. I got quite a tree full of apples this year, but unfortunately, most of them had worms. That didn't stop me from collecting the best ones and making an apple pie!

What is your favorite fall activity?

Apple Picking Aprons

We went Apple Picking several weeks ago (in blazing hot, very un-fall like weather!). Sometimes apple time seems to sneak up on us and we end up dashing out last minute to see which apple varieties are still hanging on the trees. But this year we were prepared! I even had time to make myself an apple picking apron!

Even in hot weather, the trees are beautiful.

I posted about this apron pattern here. It is from the booklet Dresses and Aprons for Work in the Home, copyright 1952. This apron has been on my to-do list for years!

I followed the directions except to cut out the apron skirt in two pieces. This allowed me to line the bottom section with a sturdy drill and to sew the bottom apple fabric the other way around so that when gathered up, the pretty side would be facing out. 

I wasn't sure if the strings to gather were very necessary at first, I would just unloaded the apples one at a time, but when picking was over it was nice to be able to untie it and brush out all the leaves and dirt! 

 With the leftover fabric, I squeezed out a small apron for my niece too. She was so ecstatic to have her own apron. She loves apple picking almost as much as I do!

Now that the weather is cooler and a rainy weekend is forecasted, it is time to start applesauce and apple butter making!