A Busy Week

WHOO HOO, I finished my rose!  Here it is on the design wall.  I don't have it hanging anywhere.  The renegade stitching went OK, but the echo quilting was the biggest challenge.  Otherwise, I'm very pleased with it!!  Thanks Melinda Bula...great class!! Here's a close-up of the rose stitching.

We got some new appliances this week.  Below, are the new range, microwave and dishwasher.  Love them!! I wanted a gas stove and electric convection oven. So then there was an offer of a rebate so we ended up with the dishwasher and microwave, too. I'm really glad because now I have a convection oven in the microwave..yeah!

We kept the same refrigerator. Now we have to decide on counter-tops and sink.  We will keep the cupboards and granite top on the center island. I can't decide...too many choices.  I'm leaning toward a Corian counter with an integrated sink.  We'll see...Here's Bob unloading the new dishwasher.

Above is Bob's latest catch.  The neighbor's trap actually caught TWO young raccoon!  They were kind of cute.  But they are in the park now.Speaking of the park....

Here are Bob and Lauren with the fish that Lauren caught Sunday evening!! It was a nice catfish...that we released.  She didn't want to touch it.
It was a busy week!

Number Nine..

Here is Bob with today's latest critter.  This is number 9!  This has the potential to become a daily event around here!  Hopefully he's depleted the raccoon population ( at least till next spring)!

Here the pesky critter is ready for his trip to his new home.

And it is not a total waste of time for Bob, either.  Here is the bass he caught after tossing a line into the lake a few times. Not too bad!
I rearranged the mantle in the living room.  Remember I moved the big mirror there but I wasn't 'in love' with the look. So, a quick trip to TJMax, and voila!.......

Much better!!

Critter Relocation

Here is Bob with his latest 'catch'.  He and the next door neighbor have been setting traps for raccoon for the past few weeks.  The raccoon have been tearing up the neighbors back yard every night in order to eat the seeds that fall daily from his bird feeders.  Big divots of soil are thrown by these critters!  It is a mess.  Bob and the neighbor have captured and relocated over eight, so far! They release them in a near- by park.  

This big guy was pretty stressed out by the time Bob had picked him up from the back yard.  He had managed to turn the cage over and kept digging just outside the cage so much that his leg was rubbed raw.  Hope he is happy in his new wooded home!  He'll probably find all his old friends because they have all been relocated to the same area. Below is a younger one that Bob moved a couple of days ago.

You might wonder why Bob is doing all the relocating when it isn't in his back yard, but that's who Bob is.  He is always willing to help the neighbors.  Always the first to ask how he can help.  He's the best!!

A Visit to 'Revisit'

I made a little visit to Revisit, a resale shop in North Liberty, today.  No special reason, I guess I just like to see what's new.  I had seen her page on Facebook and decided to check things out. Any-who, I found those 2 oval pictures of herons!  So naturally, I had to rearrange a few things...
I moved the 2 pictures from the fireplace and put them in the bedroom... again.  Above the to side tables. That meant I had to put something above the fireplace...

So I moved the big mirror that was in the entryway and put it above the fireplace.  I'm not too nuts about this.  I don't know if its the size or the gold.  So, guess I'll use my Annie Sloan chalk paint and change the gold, for starters. Maybe Old White with the gold peeking through in spots.
After I moved the mirror, I replaced the entryway spot with the Monet. I really like that...

And, I just happened to find a sweet print at Revisit that I replaced above, where the Monet was...

It is a table of garden flowers, a wicker chair and blue and white china...very sweet. Oh, and I exchanged the lamp in the front bedroom for the one that was on the table. A good day's redecorating!

More Refinishing...

Here's a chair I bought in Johnston when I was in Des Moines for my painting class.  It was very yellow with yellow velvet upholstery. I finally got around to painting it.  I started out by painting it in 2 coats of Old Ochre. But then it seemed that everything was coming out the same color...

So I changed my mind and applied 2 coats of Paris Grey and light and dark wax.  Much more like what I had in mind...

Now, I just have to decide on what fabric to use to cover the seat and then the sewing :( .....

This last week I had a nasty cold.  It started out as just an odd feeling, and by Sunday I was feeling pretty punky. So it took me a while to get my chair worked on.  But, I forged ahead, and got the job done.  I'm waiting now to get fabric swatches.  I'm kind of nervous... I have to make cording and staple the fabric to the seat board.  Oh, well.  One step at a time..I'll let you know when its done.

Working On My Rose Quilt

This is what I started with in Melinda Bula's class last Wednesday. It is kind of like paint by number but with fabric.  Lots of little pieces and tons of Steam-A-Seam!  I came home and worked on it the following weekend. (With temps in the 90's, this was a no-brainer). So here is what it looked like by Friday evening..

Saturday I worked on the leaves, mostly.  Geesh, so many pieces..... But by Saturday night it looked like this...

Today I have been ironing down the leaves and all their parts and putting boarders on...

I'm liking it!  The boarder triangles are going to be my downfall, I'm afraid. I'll keep plugging away as long as the temperatures stay in the nineties.  Guess that means I'll be working on it all week.  I'll keep you posted.