3 Week House Review

Finally bringing our home together after 4 months – we moved in June 30^th, but due to house repairs, unforeseen circumstances, and crazy freak house incidents … we haven’t been able to start making our home {o.u.r.h.o.m.e.} until this morning. It feels good! And the house is starting to look good too ;-)

Two weeks ago the roof was finally put on, thank God: just in the nic of time. We are not into our monsoon season yet, but we have had a couple of rainy days; I’m just glad it finally got done before I had to morph into Katharina; LOL! As soon as the roof was finished and the men left, I got busy repotting my Geraniums – I had 2 very large/1 medium pots hanging from the front porch overhang, but they were really too high for me to reach comfortably and were getting uncomfortably heavy to lift and turn every few weeks to keep them bushily balanced … so I upended them, repotted them into smaller terra cotta pots (to be put in big bins and stored under the porch, protected from the frost and snow during the Winter months), and used the large pots to replant the divided chrysanthemums into: I bought 3 double planted chrysanthemum plants at Wal*Mart and divided them, placing a half of each plant (a yellow, purple & white) in each pot; they add a splash of color to the curbside flowerbed area:

Chrysanthemum Pot ... 3 in one. Cut in half and repotted. These are perennial plants here, so they will need a bigger container next year.

Repotted Geraniums - taken out of big pots and put into smaller terra cotta pots.

Geranium overflow ... I LIKE Geraniums as you can see, and they will re-bloom and proliferate every Spring if left to dry and stored properly every Fall.

Last week the kitchen was finished and appliances put in place, except for the refrigerator … which was put in 2 days ago: just glad it is D.O.N.E! Actually the fellas really did a phenomenal job and; the kitchen looks fantastic; I was just chomping at the bit because I want to L.I.V.E.I.N. the house we bought in June and feel like it is really our home instead of a construction site, and I admit I was starting to get testy. There are boxes that have not even been unpacked yet: now they can be ;-) And we are no longer {spring chickens} – every day lost will forever stay lost at our age; there’s no recouping lost time when you are 61 and 68 – you do not get a ‘chance to redo’ anything. But, now the kitchen re-model is done-done and we can all go forward with our lives …

KITCHEN DONE!

MOD Fall Ivy basket.

Scarecrow Rug at Front Door.

I did lose my cool last night though – I did not chew anybody out, and Hubs was not my surrogate focus of anger, but I did reach the end of my rope and decided to stop waiting and start acting as far as the in-house thermostat was concerned: I had made up my mind to call an electrician and have him put the darned thing in … NO MATTER WHAT IT COST. Seriously. For such ‘a small thing’, it had every single person on the job (the thermostat was included in the house revamp contract and we were assured that it would be in when the job was done) running from it as fast as they could, passing it on to someone else, and making the cross sign like it was an evil annoyance. Yesterday morning when we were assured that ‘it would be done before the end of the day’, and we waited all day for it to be put in yesterday and it wasn’t – well – let’s just say that was the ‘end of the road’ as far as I was concerned. Hubs is a little more forgiving than I am, but I do not suffer being lied to very well. I let it be known that I was upset: rightfully and righteously so. I did it calmly, but I was very clear – and I slept like a baby.

I do not apologize because the whole runaround was ridiculous.

And the darned thing was finally put in and set up this morning, which is good because the mornings are getting cooler:

THERMOSTAT IN – ((((YAY!!!!))))

After that was taken care of, I started decorating; I don’t do a lot of decorating because because Hubs has never liked this particular month … or the activities that go along with it, but I do like a splash of Fall color in the house. I keep every décor detail neutrally FALL THEMED such as colorful leaves, scarecrows (because I am a farmer at heart and scarecrows are a farmer’s friend), pumpkins (2 months of décor for the price of 1 on this item; LOL), bats, corn cobs (these are in one of the unpacked boxes and will probably not get used this year), Fall flowers, ect. Basically anything having to do with Harvest. This year the decorating is slim because everything has been hectic around here. But these things I did manage to get up …

Kitchen Scarecrow.

MOD Fall Cornucopia – kitchen

MOD Very low-key Fall mantle decor.

Back door rug.

MOD re-worked back door Fall Wreath.

In the midst of working on the door wreath, the new washer and dryer arrived as well as the Satellite TV technician: it’s been a BUSY DAY here today, but I am not complaining; I am rejoicing. Most of this house had to be rebuilt and reworked and the fellas actually DID get everything done pretty quick, even with the complications and rising tensions incurred: for all intents and purposes our home is now a NEW HOUSE, and from today forward, we can really rest and be at peace knowing our Winter hibernation period will be calm and relaxing:

Last week the old washer and dryer started going off skid ... so we bought new ones  - the new ones arrived today.

I was reading my easy-read Jesus People Bible this morning and noticed that it is getting rather ragged. I am sorry to see that. This Bible has seen a LOT of usage, and it is pretty old; I got it when I was 14 years old, at the Rose Festival Parade in Oregon – a group of Jesus People hippies were walking among the people and handing them out. I really enjoy reading it because it is written in plain everyday talk and very handy to use when witnessing to people who have not been raised in church – and/or are not familiar with the King James Bible or Biblical understanding; this Jesus People Bible of mine is easy to read and easy to understand because the wording is easy even though it is comparable to the King James Bible in every other way …

Oh No!! My Jesus People Bible is falling apart at the seams after 47 years ...

Well, that’s all there is to share tonight.

I’m going to put my laptop away now and work on some projects I found over on Annemarie's Haakblog’s Blog; my little grandson would enjoy these ;-)

ROBOT AMIGURUMI

SPIDERMAN AMIGURUMI

Frogs & Tagging Bazaar Items

With my first 2017 Bazaar on the docket for October 28^th, I figure I better get these items unbagged & tagged – I had started working on my cache in February of 2016, but {life} happened & fallout circumstances threw a monkey wrench in the works, so I didn’t get much accomplished this year; but I did manage to get a couple of things designed and worked up … 4 styles of toddler slippers based on a Frog Theme; I revamped the ‘Bootie Slipper’ pattern to work my own designs around:

MOD Frog Slippers: http://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2017/02/mod-green-pink-tree-frog-slippers.html

MOD Frog Slippers: http://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2017/02/mod-ranitomeya-toddler-slippers.html

MOD Frog Slippers: http://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2017/02/mod-spotted-poison-dart-frog-slippers.html

MOD Frog Slippers: http://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2017/02/mod-indian-bullfrog-slippers.html

And an older child’s slipper in ‘Hawks colors
…

MOD 'Hawk Slippers. $10 PR (I revamped the ‘Slipper Sox’
Pattern)

A few Baby Beanie/Mitt Sets:

CROCHET. BOY. Beanie and Mitt Sets. NB-3 MO & 3 Mo-6
MO $12 EA SET

CROCHET. GIRL. Beanie and Mitt Sets. NB-3 MO & 3 Mo-6
MO $12 EA SET

A pair of crochet Women’s Mittens …

CROCHET. Women's Mittens. Size -Med. WOOL. $10 PR

A few Tooth Fairy Pillows:

CROCHET. Tooth Fairy Pillows; 2 BOY & 2 GIRL. $5 EA
(I found the pattern on Moogly’s Page)

A pair of Women’s Slippers …

http://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2017/07/summer-slipper.html

And for the past two days while it softly rained, I worked on a new design that I had thought up 2 years ago, but never really found the time to implement – until this week ;-)

CROCHET. MOD Scrubbie Dishcloths. Christmas theme. $4 EA

It isn’t a lot, but it is new items to add to the rest of my cache, which is the leftover items from last year’s work. I sold a LOT last year, but between the left-over items and these new additions, I should have enough for 2 tables at each Bazaar I am scheduled to do this year :-)

And just because it is “that time of year …” I am watching this 1970’s movie about rouge frogs because (1) it came to mind while posting about my froggy slippers; LOL (2) Sam Elloitt ((((!!!!)))) is THE ‘star’ of the movie (3) it fits the impending ‘season’ :-D :-D :-D

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Today is the 2^nd day of the Jewish New Year for 2017 – ((((HAPPY ROSH HASHANA!))))

So to celebrate, we ditched the hotel and moved back home this morning … the kitchen is nearly finished, and to be honest, we are tired of living out of a duffel bag – my fella does not handle changes well, and it was just time to get back on home turf.

And ((MAN!)) home turf is looking pretty GOOD :-D It's still a work in progress, but we are glad to be home just the same ...

Countertops ON.

Farm sink IN PLACE and looking good.

I LOVE deep kitchen sinks, and the farm sink fits my needs.

This faucet set fits the sink ... and it's high enough that I can wash my hair in the sink; which I like to do during the week. Other sinks are too shallow and the faucets to low. THIS I like.

Island FINISHED ... complete w-Bead Board for a true 'farmhouse kitchen' look.

And the plug-in on the Island side has been fitted with a Bead Board Inset! What a thoughtful and appreciative touch ;-)

Cabinet knobs match the faucet set.

This counter top was the last project of this work day - the adhesive is still 'setting' so the tape won't come off until Monday when the fellas return.

New Microwave will go in place next week.

New dishwasher will go in place next week.

Have I mentioned how MUCH I LIKE these floor tiles? They are beautiful.

Mount St. Helen’s Road Trip

Yesterday we went for a drive to get out of the hotel and unwind. I was driving, so I decided on a trip to Mt. St. Helen’s – I usually don’t go that way because the whole area is pretty boring now since she blew her top in 1980 and changed the landscape and atmosphere …

Mt. St. Helen’s in all her splendor and glory before her 1980 temper tantrum.

Mt. St. Helens after the blast - quite a difference, right?

… but we needed to kill time: we didn’t want to go on a quick drive and end up back at the hotel; and we couldn’t go home yet because the fellas were still working on our kitchen: the drive to the mountain and back would take a couple hours and we’d arrive back in town after the fellas were done so we could go home for a bit before going back to the hotel to go the bed. We are sooooooooooooooooo ready for this to end.

We may get back in our home this weekend – that is everyone’s hope anyway; I’m thinking that the work crew is as anxious as we are to have this project done.

Well, back to the road trip ;-)

We passed through Toutle and came into Kid Valley where the buried A-Frame house is … and the towering concrete Sasquatch too: don’t know who made this thing, but they did a fairly good job of it, even making sure the beast was covered with a heavy pelt of ‘fur’. Both the Sasquatch and A-frame are showing their age and are covered with the ever-present thatch of creeping moss prevalent in the PNW. Everyone thinks Washington is called the “Evergreen State" because of its majestic towering evergreen trees, but I’m inclined to believe it’s really the creeping moss that gave the State that moniker; the creeping crud literally covers everything – even people if they stand still long enough. LOL!

Concrete Bigfoot Statue - 20 feet tall.

A-Frame House before it was buried under eruption muck.

Buried A-Frame House today.

About 8 1/2 hours after our volcanic Mount St. Helens erupted on May 18, 1980, a raging 70 mph river of mud raced towards Kid Valley, about 25 miles distant. By the time the murky muck actually raced into Kid Valley the flow has decreased to 20 mph when it destroyed homes and bridges along Hwy #504. A newly-built A-frame house was flooded with 200 tons of superheated silt, mud, water and ash; the lower portion of the home was buried 4-1/2 feet deep. The owners hadn’t even had time to move in before their home was destroyed.

Leaving Bigfoot and the buried A-frame behind, we continued on the drive, commenting now and then on places we remember from 'before' and how much they have changed 'now'.

Quite a way down the highway we arrived at the point where I usually get choked up and can’t drive any further - Hubs usually takes the wheel from this point; but yesterday afternoon I was determined to cross that stinking bridge myself – AND I DID! – with Yeshua’s help. We are living in perilous times, and there may come at some point, a time when I will have to face doing something else unsettling; and I’ll have to push through without bulking.

Hoffstadt Creek Bridge – the longest and highest bridge on the Spirit Lake Memorial Highway. Tourists parked right in the middle of it to take pictures! Idiots. That bridge gets foggy.

Feeling accomplished and satisfied that I had hurdled and corralled a particular anxiety, I drove on to the Forest Learning Center - which is really just a fancy pit stop and Gift Shop – where we usually see elk grazing faaaaaaaar down below the viewing are of the parking lot. There were no elk in sight today: probably hiding from the hunters with ‘special permits’ to hunt them in their protected habitat. Elk are as smart as they are majestically beautiful creatures.

There were no elk in the field below, but there were clear lines of the road that had been put in after the blast zone was opened up to the loggers in 1981. My husband was one of the first loggers to be allowed into the area for salvage logging and he said that they were logging the logs from the top of the hill to the mud flats and at one point the boss had a cat out for a tail-hold for a skyline and he disappeared into a sink hole, and my husband had to pull him back out with the yarder – like he would fallen logs. It was dangerous work to do, but it interested them too.

Road used by loggers who salvaged blast zone logs. Not sure who opened the zone up, but they built the road.

The original Spirit Lake Hwy is in the middle of this picture - under a LOT of ashy mud; buried forever and the area was unsafe to rebuild the original road. The highway we are on now was built after the volcano’s eruption.

Ancient burnt out Cinder Cone in the background, shrouded by heavy black clouds.

I saw some things I would have liked to have bought in the gift shop, but it was an impromptu drive and we really didn’t have spare $$$ to spend: maybe now that I have conquered that emotional ‘bridge hurdle’ we’ll come back up in the Spring and I’ll buy them then ;-)

And that was the end of our road trip – I drove a little further up the road, around the bend, expecting to see THIS at the end of the road …

Mt. St. Helen’s today. Mt. St. Helens is still an active volcano: she still builds up a head of steam every now and then – and those ‘low-lying clouds’ around her open mouth are tendrils of steam.

… but the fog was so thick I could no longer see the road. So I nipped into a scenic view turnout and turned back towards home.

And got the happy news at home that we can move back home Friday!

((((YAY!!!!))))

BAZARR SEASON

The weather is bizarre this year – that is true, but I also have my 1^st 2017 Holiday Bazaar lined up for the last week of October at Rosburg Hall (Hub’s hometown), so the other day I stopped by Jo-Anne’s and get some more tulle and scrubby yarn to make new scrubbies – they always sell so fast. I have lots of other things in my bazaar bins, but no scrubbies. Anyway … long story short, I got 10 colors of stiff tulle to cut into 1-inch strips, and 6 colors of glittery tulle in medium , that is true, weight to work with the scrubby yarn for Holiday sparkle ;-)

Bag of tulle strips waiting to be crocheted into scrubbies.

While I was at Jo-Anne’s I realized I have no scissors at the Hotel room where we have been sequestered by the Home Insurance Company while our kitchen is being remodeled due to the water damage that happened 3 weeks ago, so I started looking for a small pair to carry in my purse. I spotted this cute zebra stripe scissors and just had to have it! It are actually for kids 12+, but they fit my hand; and they are sharp and will work for the project intended. And they match my funky glasses :-D :-D :-D

Artsy glasses for a crafting dive. hahaha ...

So far I have worked up 6 scrubbies - the top 4 are holiday colors - Fall orange/black, Thanksgiving, Seahawk games, Christmas. The bottom 2 are Christmas and Seahawk colors.

New scrubbies: top 4 are tulle; bottom 2 are tulle & scrubby yarn combo. The bottom scrubbies are thicker and heavier, so they are priced a little more. And the glittery tulle gives a whole new meaning to 'sparkling dishes' ;-)

We stopped by our house yesterday, and the tile layers were busy at work. The tile flooring is gorgeous! And it’s gonna look real N.I.C.E. when it’s grouted and sealed …