I shall never tire...

of the sound of a storm...

 and the sky as seen from our back porch in between all the rainfall!

Once again my poor husband was trapped inside on a Saturday due to the weather... insert my cruel chuckle here... so I put him to work.  We built this table base smack dab in the middle of our dining room, I will add a top to it this week and put it to use in a few weeks.  My sweetheart is rarely willing to start my newest project, but I think he actually loves seeing my vision amount to something decent, snicker!  He likes the price tag of this table too... legs - free, bracing wood - leftovers from other projects, and table top will be free pallet wood.  Cheap... talking my husband's language!

Weekends go by so fast, but these latest rainy weekends seem to be at least a little more leisurely.  Baseball season has started so rain means no practices too... family time is the best time!

The Willow Creek Inn

Blue Ridge, Georgia, is quickly becoming a favorite vacation sight for our family.  Several years ago, Shawn and I rented a private cabin there and it was incredible.  Since then Shawn and his brothers had a reunion there and rafted the Ocoee, and he and Christian had a father/son weekend rafting trip there too.

This past weekend was Shawn and I's 18th wedding anniversary.  Shawn did it again!  He planned a wonderful getaway for us.  This time we went to a Bed & Breakfast in the mountains.  During the summer months this location also serves as a Youth Camp for their church.  The entire property took my breath away.  My favorites: canoeing in the pond, 1 week old sheep named Snowflake, the innkeeper's daughter, naps in our room with the windows open and the breeze blowing through the curtains, homemade bread and pumpkin muffins, sound of their turkeys, Gracie the dog, and so, so, much more.  It was perfect!  Be prepared for the upcoming picture overload... but I definitely want to document the beauty of this property!

 We just couldn't leave the area without visiting one of the local Falls... Falls Branch.

Thank you Shawn, I love you!

price LESS?

My mom's maiden name is Price.  When she was little, if another child wanted to hurt her feelings they would tell her that she was 'price less'.  Her little classmate obviously misunderstood this name calling as a real insult.  Years later my mom learned the real meaning of the word 'priceless'.  I'm sure she grinned to herself as she recalled the intended malice used in altering her last name.   A true compliment instead.  Lesson learned.  So many meanings to words, so many different ways of looking at something and determining 'value.'

I recently went to an Estate Sale.  It was such a fun experience.  At 41 years old, I was the youngest attendee except for 3 young gals that were there to find antique jewelry.  I stood in line for hours waiting to enter the sale and enjoyed every last moment of conversing with 100s of people, most twice my age.  Each person hoping to find a treasure inside the Estate home... Elvis memorabilia, antique glassware, exquisitely ornate furniture... to each their own obsession.

 I guess it safe to say... I had a corner on the market as far as wanting old, crusty, dusty, stuck in the recesses of closets and garages... stuff.  And my most 'priceless' find?  This framed art.

 It is not an original.  It is in a very simple frame.  But I fell in love immediately.  The blue gown and the coral untied shoes.  Swoon.

The child's perfectly depicted chubby fingers.  Isn't that EXACTLY how a small child eats... using the palm of their hand to push food into the mouth, simply precious.

I also found some cobweb covered jars and a pitchfork.  Yep.  Safe to say I was not throwing elbows to be the first to purchase any Elvis records... just as safe to say noone else was jealously eyeing my treasures... snicker.  To each their own.   Priceless!

Falling on your face...

I heard the BEST quote at church yesterday.  I didn't have a pen and paper handy so I will paraphrase:


When you fall flat on your face... you MUST remember two very important things:
1.  to 'fall' means you were still in the process of trying!  No need to claim defeat!
2.  and to fall on your face means you are still technically moving forward... not backwards... right?!


I really needed to hear this fun little thought.  I can get caught in the fear of failure.  I need to reprogram my thinking that a failed attempt does not always equal wasted time or effort.  So, with that said... I have decided to take a plunge, of sorts, and attempt something that I have wanted to do for years.  I am going to 'pull up my big girl britches' when/if it does not play out just as I want and creatively move forward.  Now I have a game plan... if I fall... fall on my face instead of my backside, grin... forward movement... even the tiniest bit is a success!

Not ready to divulge my new little venture just yet.  For me it will be a creative process to dabble in while I wait to be an InnKeeper, grin.  But who knows,  I shall be an optimist and it could be a fun side interest for a long time to come.  I shall be making some future announcements... some of you may be interested in what I have up my sleeve, wink, so I will keep you updated. 

2 Glorious Days of Rain

Now, I do indeed realize that most people would not consider 2 full days of rain a good thing... especially if those two days are Friday and Saturday... but me?  GLO.RI.OOOOOOUS!
Why?
Because a good soaking rain ANYTIME in preparation for Spring is a wonderful thing.
I am shocked as to how many of our plants and trees actually made it from last year... it was a tough, hot fall and I feared most died before they went dormant.  Just not possible to stretch hoses all over the pastures to water and pamper each plant. 
I can't express the joy that most of my Quinces survived and are now blooming!  Happy, happy, happy!

 And the other reason I am giddy for the 2 day weekend rain... I was able to trap the family 'muscles' indoors for a personal project, tee-hee!
Ripping up carpet and carpet pad in the soon to be STUDIO!
There is no money for projects right now... so this task was FREE, and actually got done very quickly.

 I must insert here that Savannah, also considered the 'muscles' of the family, helped... but somehow I didn't get a pic of her.  She was a master at removing tack strips and staples.

And here it is, CLEAN SLATE!  I know now how I'm going to create the 'look' of paneling at a fraction of the cost, it will cost $7 a sheet and I need 11 sheets.  So I may have to buy one sheet at a time and cut/install... but I am determined to keep this project moving forward, even if it IS at a snail's pace.  Afterall, as my sil Alisha will agree, once us gals get a project thought through and on graph paper... there is no changing our minds, snicker!!!