Teeny Tiny Nests

I just spent a full minute watching a little hummingbird in my front garden, gathering fluff from my old Japanese anemones to use in her/his nest. (I knew there was a good reason not to clean out the gardens too early...) This was the cutest thing...other than my grandchildren...that I have seen in a very long time. He didn't leave until his tiny beak was full to bursting. Then away he zipped. I am so glad the hummers stick around here all year.

And this is an old picture of Greg with hummers on his fingers!!  (At Sitkum.)

First iPad Post!

This is my first post using my iPad...a tool which may mean you get to read more posts...lucky you!

Yesterday we found two old solid oak stools at our local Value Village. I am going to clean them up, sand them, and paint one pink and one purple. I am Not A Purple Fan, but for some reason it sounded like a fun color. Okay, I AM a purple fan when it comes to the Huskies, but otherwise, not so much.

 And we bought a farmhouse bench, unfinished, which I have been wanting for ages. It will be here next week. I think it will end up a vintage creamy color. We will see.

 Also, my big project this coming week...touch up and stencil the wall in the dining portion of our main living room. I found a wonderful site called Cutting Edge Stencils (check it out) and purchased one in the Damask line. It is Big! And will look so great, at least we hope so. I am doing tone on tone, keeping the wonderful warm yellow of the original paint.

 When it is all done, I promise a post...possibly from The Pad.

But maybe not…when I posted this, none of the returns showed up…so this was just one long run-on paragraph…not easy reading!

We'll see whether The Pad changes my posting life...

Grace Inspects The Quilt

When I hear from almost 50% of my followers that they miss my blog, well...what can I do but give them something else to waste time on online?

Here is a little joyful video clip to make you smile...starring Grace Elis Swaney as Herself.

Fruitcake and Stairs

December 1st just begs to be celebrated in some special way...so Mom made fruitcake...and I decoupaged the risers of our stairway to the downstairs.

Mom toasting the nuts for the fruitcake...nutty dog hoping something will fall on the floor.

The fruitcake turned out delicious.  Sophie helped.  Dad wondered whether it came out to about $1 per slice, which is just about right...maybe even $1.50 each.  Loaded with fruit and nuts!

The stairs are now a place where you can improve your knowledge of the world circa 1948, from the P Volume of the World Book Encyclopedia.  I have learned, for instance, that long ago green peas were believed to be "too sensual" to eat and that eating them would "leadeth to perdition."  Who knew?  I can think of some foods that might "leadeth to perdition", but peas have never been on the list.

Also, I learned, by observation, that Parent Teacher Associations were populated entirely by slim women with curly 'dos.  No men involved; they were too busy practicing their tumbling, an "advanced form of physical education."  See photo for proof.

Tumbling is SOOO manly!!

Interested in poulty, pets, penguins, portraits, painting, how paint is made, pentagons, plants, physical education, policemen, Paraguay, Pennsylvania, photography (Color!!), parrots, the Philippines, pine siskins, pelicans, personality?  Just stop and read the steps!

I still have some bits of touch up to do, and then touch up the paint on the treads, but what do you think?

I like!  And happy December!

Many Moons Later!

I see that my last post was on September 8th...since that day I have been to Montana and Nebraska and Wyoming and Utah and Oregon and Idaho and back to Washington...did I leave any states out?

I slept on a train seat, a couch, a loveseat, a chair, a small hide-a-bed, another couch, another couch covered in a dog blanket (!), another love seat, another chair, on 4 hotel beds, and in a car...I'm tired!  :)

But now I'm home with Ed, where I belong, and we have Dad and Mom Pierson here with us for awhile. We are looking forward to a multi-generational Thanksgiving next week.  Fun.

To my amazement, I have had time to paint a picture since I got home.  Not sure where the time came from.

And here is the process...I had these old paint by number sets, all dried out, but still interesting...

I wasn't sure what to do with them...throw them out?  color them with colored pencils?  use my acrylic paint?  what?  Then I thought, "Why now blow them up?"

So I colored the paper reproduction of the picture with colored pencils, looked for an interesting portion to blow up, and found this...

Next, I reproduced this picture on tracing paper, traced it onto the canvasboard, and began the fun part...painting!

Here it is almost done...just waiting on the last lightest pink and the white highlights...

I think I will do a smaller one next.  It was so fun!

Catching Up On Things

Let's see...since I wrote last we have had a Labor Day BBQ, Charlie and Grace came over for the afternoon, and I took a load of toys and books and games up to Aaron and Erin's new house in Mt. Vernon.

Here are some pictures, since we all know they are worth a 1000 words...

BBQ King

In case we get confused, this is Dad.

Charlie made signs for all of us.  Grace would make a wonderful Labor Day picketer, if ever she is needed.

Stop.

Grace Stop...Go.

Grace finally stopped.

Grace on her favorite toy.

Charlie's "sky scraper."

My moving van.

Charlie and Grace initiate the new play room.

This is the play room bath room!  This house has three BIG bathrooms...very cool.

Erin in her new kitchen.

Charlie shows me his new bedroom...or at least part of it.
So happy for the kids and this very cool old house in Mount Vernon.

Went to the Animal Fair!

Ed and I spent the day at the Evergreen State Fair.  At least once every year or so I need my fill of horses, funky chickens, very large sows with piglets, quilts, spinners spinning yarn, local grange displays (love these!!), sweet Walla Walla onion burgers, and funnel cakes!  So that's what we did today.

In the arena where the baked goods were displayed, Ed looked at one entry...

Ed:  Look at that nut cake!  It is FOUR YEARS OLD.
Me: (reading the entrant info)  No, the kid who baked it is four years old.
Ed:  Oh.  I was going to say...waiting four years to enter your cake!

I had a really good laugh at that.  And the cake did look seriously good, both for a four year old cake OR one baked by a four year old.

We had good old-fashioned fun.  Tractors, horses, chain saw carvers, the Navy Band (really good!), cowboy hats, 4H dog obedience trials...Nice day!