Its Been Too Long!!

Wow! I can't believe how long its been since I posted anything. Its not like nothing has happened, I just haven't taken the time to write.  Sorry!!
Since its almost September, I'll just put up some pictures.

Finally got some artwork on the walls.

Finished my Swoon quilt at Peg's Sew-In the first part of August.  She quilted it for me in a Baptist Fan. I love it.

I also finished this little wall hanging at the Sew-In.

Went to Stitches Midwest with good friends Jeannie and Jackie.  Had a great time and learned a lot! Bought waaay too much yarn.

Lauren celebrated her 21st birthday with us and her boyfriend, Josh.  Her first beer...NOT! The next day, we celebrated Josh's birthday...

Now Lauren is back at Beloit.  She is in her Senior year!!! Yahoo!!!! I know its going to be a great one!!

We've had lots of visits from our hummingbirds.  This little guy is just taking a break and guarding his territory at the same time.
Its been a great summer.  Looking forward to a fabulous Fall!

The Evolving Living Space

I know it looks like its the same, but it isn't.  I ditched the pillows that came with the sectional and found cream ones instead.  I finished painting the legs and trim on the coffee table to Annie Sloan Graphite, like the buffet. Its so much nicer. I realized that the room was evolving into a cream and gray theme.  It kind of frees me up to bring in lots of textures and worry less about colors.

Found a sweet little chair at TJ Maxx!  Wish there were two..

 Found a wonderful piece at the Artfest over the weekend!  Lauren and I had gone on Friday afternoon.  We went to Chait Gallery and my friend, Beppie Weiss, was the featured artist that afternoon! I fell in love with her Iowa countrysides, done in pastels.  So now I want some more pieces from regional artists of iconic Iowa scenes, I think.

Above, are the two chairs from Little Red School House/ Distinctions in Independence.  I found a metal table at Revisit to put between them.

Above are two shots from the bedroom.  Can't remember what I shared, so here it is.

 

Finally, here is the chair I bought a couple of years ago.  It was one of the first things I painted with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint!  But I never got it recovered, until now.  I finally admitted that I just couldn't do the job as well as a professional, so I used Regeneration Factory..  She did a fabulous job!

Well, that's it for now. I'll keep you posted!

 

Progress

 

Things are progressing around here.  Yesterday the couch arrived (note the tags).  Finally got to move the two chairs off the shag area rug!  I repainted the baskets in the baker's rack and the wooden shelf to French linen.  Kind of resembles old french baskets, I guess.  Much better than the blue, that I never really liked.

Above is the desk I painted, also in French linen.  The chair for it is getting the seat recovered and should be ready next Monday.  Notice there is nothing on the walls yet.  Its really hard to put nail holes in freshly painted walls,  but it will happen soon.  Trust me.

Last weekend, we put the plates and greenery back above the cabinets.  I debated about the greenery, but it won out in the end.  There is still a lot of junk on the countertops because I still don't have a spot for everything yet.  Need to bring a buffet up from the lower level.  So the dining area is looking pretty sparse.

Above, is the living room.  I will be painting the coffee table legs and trim to match the cabinet, graphite.  We were going to put the TV on the mantle (because there is a hook up) but decided the new (old) painted piece would look better.  Now I have to put something on the mantle.  I'm thinking about having a small quilt framed that  I made several years ago. Below, is the quilt against the couch and wall color.

What do yo think?  It would hang or sit on the mantle.
Well that's it for now.  Iowa city has an Artfest this weekend.  Maybe I can find something fabulous to put on the walls by local artists.  I'll keep you posted.

New Floors!!

Here's our new wood flooring in the living room.  LOVE IT!!!  Bertelli Flooring did the work.  And such a fine job they did.  They had to blend it with the old and then refinish all to make it look like its always been there.  The view above is from the front door into the living room (where nasty carpet was).

Above is the front room and the fireplace.  They really did a fabulous job.  We stayed at Bob's mom in Chicago for the last 4 days while they put down the several layers of finish.  When we returned on Tuesday, it was all done.  The clean up was great.  I barely had to dust anything in the kitchen!

Above, is the master bedroom.  Can't wait to get everything back to normal.  We now are waiting for the painter.  He will caulk and paint the floor boards since they had to be removed to put down the floor and then nailed back on.  So while he's here, we will have him paint the living room, entryway and dining area.  So, we continue to live in the basement.  Worth the wait!!

This is the color for the dining area, kitchen and entryway.

The swatch in the outlet cover is the color for the living room.

This is the swatch for the master bedroom.  Sorry they really don't come across very well. Which is exactly how I feel about choosing wall colors....absolutely a leap of faith!! But, I'm excited to see how it all comes together.
We donated several things to Salvation army,so the living room really will be a 'blank canvas'.  Don't even know what will be going in there!
While we were in Chicago, we took Grandma Strug to Beloit to visit with Lauren.  It was still a 2 hour drive from her house to get there.  But it was a beautiful day and she got to see the college and Lauren, of course.

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On Sunday, we celebrated Marianna Belko's birthday.  Marianna is Bob's niece-in-law. She and husband Matthew have 3 kids and live in Crown Point , Indiana.  Matthew is Bob's sister, Carol's son. Anyway, we had lunch at Olive Garden, not too far from their house.  Also there were Grandma Strug, Carol and her husband, Marianna's parents, Anna and Mario and Mariannas sister Riata and her significant other, Jerry.

I don't know why I have two of the last photo.  But when I get rid of it, the one above then repeats..weird.

Watch Those Dryer Sheets!!!!

Well, I don't usually blog twice in one day, but I'm making an exception to make a public service announcement.  Watch where those rogue dryer sheets end up!!!

This pile was pulled out from under our dryer!  This afternoon, Bob and I were both smelling something like diesel or gas odor.  We thought it was coming from the construction site next door, but it just kept hanging on and not going away! Finally, we checked the dryer.  I always clean my lint screen and wash it every six months or so to get rid of the dryer sheet build up.  But we were thinking we had a leak in the dryer hook-up or something.  So Bob climbed on the dryer and looked behind it with a flashlight.  He pulled out a couple of dryer sheets and a sock or two, but nothing major. Then he looked UNDER the dryer with the flashlight.  OH MY!! We used one of those 'grabbers' that old folks have to reach something on a high shelf. (It was my dad's). He just kept pulling out dryer sheets and giant dust bunnies...YUCK!  I guess about 7 years worth.

Our washer and dryer are in a rather tight space, so thorough cleaning under and all around isn't a common occurrence.  But, I think its time we start, don't you? Evidently, the sheets and dust bunnies finally piled up and blocked some kind of air exchange...Yikes!!

You're welcome.

Getting Ready.....

Here's my living room these days!!  Its waiting for new hardwood flooring.  We had hoped for it to begin April 21, but its been pushed back to May 1.  Oh well, we are ready!!  We have moved our 'living room' to the lower level.  We also had the Salvation Army take away the big entertainment piece (actually 4 pieces!), the china hutch (now, where to put everything!!), and two couches that were downstairs.  And, as we continue to move stuff around, we keep finding more things that don't need to be here.  I'm guessing we will be calling the Salvation Army soon.

Of course, now that everything is out, I want to paint (Bob wants to shake his head).  I'm thinking grays, but can't decide.

So many choices!!  And, of course, if I paint the living room then I have to paint the entryway and the kitchen (don't tell Bob!).  Oh, and don't forget our bedroom because we are putting in new floor in there, also.  Makes me tired just thinking about it....

Speaking of painting, I have been working on the buffet that is in the entryway.  I used the color Graphite by Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.  Looks pretty good, if I do say so myself.  It used to be white.  I left the top and knobs alone.  The lower picture is the before.  Who knows where it will end up?  Perhaps it will be our TV cabinet in the living room.

Needless to say, there will be some new furniture in the living room, just don't know what yet.  Just waiting for those floors to get done....

Margaritaville!

Well, here I am with good friend ,Deb and a giant margarita! We were at Casa Azul in Coralville. The drink must have been 32 ounces! Just enough for two!  We were out for the evening with our hubbies.

It was a nice change of pace for Bob and I. We are in the throws of getting ready for new hardwood flooring in our living room and bedroom. Lots of sorting and giving stuff to Goodwill and Salvation Army. I tried listing stuff on Craig's List, but not a lot of takers. The floor guys come on the 21st of April to start the process. Tomorrow, the Salvation Army comes with truck to take several large items. I'll try to put on some pictures, soon.

I'm BAAACK...

Sorry to be gone for so long.  I am having problems with Blogger.  I hope this will be posted, but can't say for sure.

I've been trying to get my pictures of my little vacation posted.  Friend Jackie and I went to Florida for a couple of days!! It was soooooo warm! It was so delightful!  Here we are with Jackie's friend, Linda in Fort Myers Beach.  Linda and her husband, Jim, graciously took us out on a boat for a 'tour' around the island, then we walked around the beach area and back across  bridge (which I walked across!).

 

 

We also had lunch at a restaurant called  Snook Bight Marina. 

The food was yummy, but our waiter was a space cadet.  He put in the wrong order so we ended up with an extra Burger and fries!  Took them 'home' for supper.

All in all, it was a great day! And the weather could not have been any more pleasant.  Here are some more photos from the day..

Walking across the bridge!!!

 

A friend on the pier.

The bridge from the boat..

Dolphins were frolicking here, just not when I took the picture..

 

We had arrived in Florida on Saturday to visit with our 'quilting' buddy, Kathy and her husband Ross.  They were renting a place in Punta Gorda.  Kathy had e-mailed the Door County quilters to come down for a visit.  So, one -30 degree day, Jackie and I decided that we would do it!!

This is the lovely place where they rented.  Its call Burnt Store Marina. It is a huge area with all sorts of homes and condos. 

 

 

Unfortunately, Kathy's mother passed away the morning we arrived.  She was in her 90's and in a nursing home, so it was not unexpected.   But, they had to fly back to Iowa on Monday morning.   They graciously let us stay at the house while they went back. Jackie and I rented a car for Monday thru 5am Wednesday (the time we needed to be at the airport!).

 

So we tooled around Punta on Monday afternoon and had lunch at Laishley's Crab House, on the beach.  Below, is my sad attempt at 'selfies'...

I am wearing new earrings that I got at the gift shop downstairs.  Made of beach glass..lovely!

We also went to another area called Fisherman's pier, I think.  Lots of shops. Then we saw the sign for Peace River Nature Preserve, so we thought, 'what the heck?" It is an area where the Peace river enters the Gulf.  Unfortunately, EVERYBODY decided to go that day and there was absolutely nowhere to park. So we drove through the parking lot and saw the white sand beach and lots of boats. 

We did manage to see quite a few manatees when we visited the marina at Burnt Store.  They were 'hanging out' close to shore where the waters were warm.

We also saw an alligator sunning himself in someone's back yard canal, but I didn't get the picture, Jackie did.
Then, on Wednesday, we flew back to Iowa.  BRRR.  So, I got this beautiful spring arrangement from Costco as a reminder of what is ahead...I hope.

  Stay warm!!