No Venison for this Huntress!

I am back from vacation (bow hunting) and I am sad to say this huntress did not score on a deer this year.  

It was my second year of bow hunting and I came to the conclusion that I was extremely lucky last year to get my 6 pointer.  Every afternoon I packed up my gear, trucked out to my tree stands and sat...and listened...and watched....and waited.... for that elusive, beastly creature to emerge from the forest, however, it was not meant to be.  Instead of bagging a buck, I discovered a few things about myself this year:

• I am fricken' out of shape!!  I pulled muscles in areas I best not put in this post.  My honey sets up stands in the trees and since I did it last year, what the heck, I should be able to belly up those branches no problem this year, right?!  Last year, I shot my buck out of a stand that was 30-35 feet up. I hauled my butt up that tree on day number 5 and lickety split, got a deer. This year, I had two different stands at around 20 long feet up...I wear these beautiful camouflage boots that I literally have to grab the hem of my even more fashionable bibs and hoist my foot to the first step and with a hrrrggfffffhhhh, I am on my way, climbing those damn trees, stopping at least once or twice to catch my breath.  Well let me tell you, this huntress came home and told honey if he wants his menopausal wife to share quality time, doing a sport that he loves, I need a damn ladderstand for next year!!  

• I HATE COYOTES!  Give me a bear any day of the week over a stinking coyote!  I was coming down from my stand one night and these darn things started their howling close by me.  Needless to say, I was not very ladylike with the words I was mumbling to myself while tromping through the woods to my vehicle.

• I'm afraid of rain. Yup, I know it sounds crazy, but here is the deal...when you are sitting with your Kindle on a QUIET day, you can HEAR when deer are coming in. However, if it is raining, and you are engrossed in "Fifty Shades" and a deer all of a sudden materializes, catching you off guard, the Kindle will fly, not an arrow and all of this will be captured on one of the cameras that we have set up...then you have to try an explain this to honey.  Sooooo, you don't read when it rains, you just sit... and sit...for hours...and your mind wanders and plays tricks on you...you hear footsteps, you hear crunching, you look, there is nothing there, you hear it again, you could swear you heard footsteps, you look down on both sides of the tree,  your anxiety continues to rise, you wonder if you took your medication, hell, maybe you should have taken a couple extra, then out of the corner of your eye...you see movement...you watch...and wait...and there it is...a chipmunk!!  That's it, I'm outta here!

• I need a project!!  During the course of the week, after hours of reading and waiting for SOMETHING to come in, I decided that I need to start getting ready for the holidays.  So on my way home, I stopped at Home Depot, picked up a gallon of paint and our kitchen that I just painted in spring is getting repainted.  See what happens when you are sitting up in the trees... you think, plot and plan.  

All in all, I had a great vacation with my honey. We went out for dinner, took Lucy for walks and just enjoyed each others company up in the north woods. There's something to be said about the peace and quiet  up north...just walking in the woods, smelling the fresh pines, watching the red squirrels chase each other, having chickadees land on branches within inches of you, seeing a porcupine (for the first time) waddle toward you...yes....it really was a wonderful vacation!!

Thanks for reading - 

Have a great week!

Beth

Happy Monday!

I took vacation this week and I am in the north woods with my honey trying to "catch a deer".  We always laugh in our house about that phrase because our daughter said that to her hunter daddy when he came home from hunting, "Daddy, did you Catch a Deer?".  That's one of those sweet things you just never forget as a mommy.

I have been hunting these last several weekends and haven't seen or wanted to take any shots at anything.  I had a small 3 pointer come in one night and could have shot him however, it was still early in the season and quite honestly, I am waiting for the big one.  I have had doe come in with her fawn and there is no way that I will shoot a doe.  Whether she is by herself or with bambi, I will not shoot a doe, nope, just can't do it...again, waiting for the big one.

Our problem this year are the bear!!  Those pesty buggers are really messing up our stands. The deer will not come in by us or anywhere near us with the bear hanging around like they are.  Over the years I would look forward to seeing bear on our way out to eat (very seldom would we see one then) and trust me, this year I have seen my share of bear.  Steve hates it when I tell him that I enjoy watching them.  They literally look like they are tip toeing through the woods thinking that they are invisible.  Last week I just happen to turn around in my stand and I swear you would have thought I had a pet sitting guard for me.  There he sat on his butt not moving, just sitting there.  He eventually just wandered off and left me alone but again, any deer that may have wanted to come my way wasn't going to because of my little buddy keeping watch.

On that note, I am off out into the woods to check our camera's and see if the big one is out there.

Thanks for reading.

Talk soon -

Beth

I am Back in the North Woods!

It's been a crazy couple weeks.  Now keep in mind that this time of year I am a single woman, my honey is living up at the cottage baiting, scouting and hunting.  As I was saying...or should I just say it's been nuts!  One of our toilets started leaking, our garage door cable snapped, my damn laptop up and died, puked, done! and my mom had a gosh darn heart attack!  She is up to four stents (she thinks she has 5, but after everything she has been through, I will let her think whatever she darn well wants).

So I bought a Samsung Galazy Note to replace my laptop.  The salesman did a good job with the sale...however...I am finding there are a lot of plus and minuses with it.  It's small, compact, I can put it in my purse, it comes with a pen to draw on the screen, it has all kinds of free apps to download, I feel really cool because all the young girls at work have one...but I miss the key board.   Oh sure, I can buy one but really, let's think about this, why not just return this darn thing and admit that I screwed up and I am an old lady that doesn't like change.  Seriously, you wouldn't believe how long it is taking my to type this.  What the bloody hell was I thinking...maybe that was the problem...my brain was on overload and I got sucked in (not to mention the salesman's grandma has one and she loves it) or perhaps the phone call with hubby in the north woods TELLING me what LAPTOP I should get spurred me into buying this handy dandy little toy.  What!  Really!  I am my own woman, nobody is going to tell me what to do...no sireeeee!  I am a single woman this time of year and I am going to branch out, be independent, explore something new and make my own decision on this purchase, you betcha...DAMN IT, I hate it when he is right!  I should have gotten the laptop.

On that note, I am going to suit up, get my bow and arrows and go out and kill something!!

Surrounded by Bear not Deer!

I decided to stay up at the cottage this afternoon and try my hand at bow hunting versus coming home early to watch the Packer game...Perhaps I should have come home to watch the game.  

I remembered to bring the camera with me, along with rocks and a rubber tip arrow...I am glad I did!  While relaxing up in the tree on this beautiful fall day, reading my Kindle, I just happen to look up in time to see this big fat bear wandering my way.

Here he proceeds to sit down and make himself very comfortable by sitting down.  Look at him just sit there... I enjoyed taking these pictures and watching him, however I couldn't let him stick around long because he was scaring the deer away.

This picture looks a lot like the one above however, I wanted you to see how big his paws are (hopefully you can see them okay).

I was done taking pictures so I tossed a rock at him, hoping to scare him off - he looked around, walked over toward me, shook himself and turned around and went back to his little perch.  I tossed another rock and then he left only to come back around 20 minutes later.  

This time I put my rubber tipped arrow in the bow and shot him in the behind...he took off, stopped, turned around and came back....What...I couldn't believe it!!  I guess the little zing in the butt didn't bother him that much.   I started throwing more rocks at him.  Again, he meandered off not seeming to be to fazed at all.   

A little while later I couldn't believe it, I hear him coming back AGAIN only this time another one came from a different direction AND I could hear another one behind me...okay, now I am starting to get freaked!  No matter how many rocks I threw and noise I made they weren't leaving.  I sent Steve a text to tell him I was freakin out.  This was just plain crazy!  

I finally got the bad boys to leave while making noise (good thing because I ran out of rocks).   Needless to say, I decided to come down from the tree (after I waited a bit), the idea of walking back to my vehicle in the dark tonight was a bit to scary for me.  Yes, I will admit I was a little nervous tonight.  

Never did see any deer.  Maybe next time the big one will come in!

Thanks for reading - 

Beth

                    

Saw Four Deer!

Recap of my first time out for the season:

Had a great time...while driving into my stand, a big grouse was sitting in the middle of the rode and flew up in front of me.  I saw this as a sign of good things to come.  

I climbed the tree (only fifteen feet up, not a bad climb for a menopausal woman out of shape), got myself situated, and waited and waited... 

I had a group of chickadee's entertain me for a while, literally landing within arms length on the branches next to me-darn,  forgot the birdseed to give them, gotta remember for next time.  Watched a woodpecker beat the crab out of a tree next to me-how do they do that and not get shaken bird brain syndrome.  Then, as the sun peeked out from behind a cloud, casting a golden glow in the woods, I spotted the cutest little buck (3 pointer) trotting through the woods.  It looked like a scene out of a Disney movie for gosh sake, I think I even saw a grin on his face.  But he kept going, so I waited....

(via Google images)

When you are sitting up in a tree with nothing but nature to entertain you, you think about a lot of things.  This is my second season bow hunting.  I am excited yet nervous...again. 

My biggest fear is NOT:  

• Falling out of a tree-I'm harnessed in, no problem there...I hope...oh wait, I could have the darn harness under my neck, slip, dangle in the air, slowly being strangled and when the light at the end of the tunnel starts to appear, distant relatives are waving to me to join them, I think, "Grab the branch right next you, dumb ass, and pull yourself up!!",  ...no this doesn't scare me...I think I will be fine...

(via Google images)

• Getting lost in the woods-wandering aimlessly for days, drinking out of creeks, eating berries and bark to survive, not being able to do my nails, (actually our stands aren't that far in the woods, no problem here), 

"There you go Yogi, just a little higher and you can scare that lady down into my arms...
she is going to make us a really nice snack".  (image via Google)

• Having a cute, furry, little cuddly bear climb a tree after me, while mama watched from below rubbin' her paws together with a big grin on her face (I have marshmallows to throw at them, jk), again, no problem here...I hope :-) 

(via Pinterest)

• Being tracked by a wolf as I am coming out of my stand, pounced on from behind, tossed around like a big floppy, screaming, toy, ok, this scares me a little-that would hurt!

What really DOES scare me is dropping my darn KINDLE!!  Can you imagine sitting up in the tree for hours on end and not being able to read!  There is no way after climbing up there, pulling my bow up, putting my hat and gloves on, getting situated with my bow and finally kicking back to relax and read only to drop the darn thing...that would just be wrong!  Oh trust me, I enjoy the whole nature thing but to actually have a couple hours where I can just sit and read is AWESOME!! Trust me when I say, I am very careful with this treasure of mine.

Back to my evening, after sitting for a couple hours, pondering life and yes, reading my Kindle, I heard it...the stealthy crunch of leaves and branches.  As slow as possible, I turn my head and there, walking ever so slowly is my little buddy the 3 pointer making his way toward me.  While I am watching him,  I hear more crunching of leaves and in walks his friend a 4 pointer!  They are just meandering around right under me, stopping periodically to look around,  sniff the air, eat some acorns  and then they just wander off.   No sooner do they leave, I hear more crunching and I think to myself, holy cow this is it, here comes the big monster, the granddaddy of the woods, the most sought after trophy that will make people come from far and wide just to get a glimpse of this big beastly creature that I, a mere woman in her second year of hunting was able to get with her bow....again, I slowly turn my head...and....in walks a doe and a fawn....well how sweet was that!!  There is mama deer and her fawn coming closer and closer to me and they stopped right below me also.  It was so cool - to be this close to these animals and they have no clue you are sitting right there, it was great!

If you are wondering why I didn't try to get any of these deer, here's the deal, I shot a 6 pointer last year that weighed 156 lbs.  and truthfully, I want something bigger!  Steve's dad was teasing me a little about being picky, but his mom and I agreed, why not try to get something a little bigger and show these boys what we are made of.  

Well, I didn't get a deer on my first night out, but I had a wonderful time watching nature, smelling the fresh clean air of the north woods and just RELAXING up in the tree.

Sorry I got so long with this, I will try to keep my up coming deer stories shorter (if that is possible).  

Thanks for reading - 

Talk soon - 

Beth

Bow Hunting Season is Upon Us!!

I'm heading out into the woods for the first time this season bow hunting.

I have my phone packed, arrows and most important... my KINDLE!!

Yes, I read while sitting in my stand and truthfully, it is so peaceful and relaxing 

a person tends to get a bit sleepy.  Have to have a diet dew before I head out.

We have a northwest wind and as per my hunting expert hubby, for the stand I will be sitting in, 

conditions should be good.

Six different bucks are coming into one of our stands (via trail cam)...

Oh boy, it's getting exciting....gotta go, wasting daylight...

Wish me luck!!

Beth

School Secretaries...

When I started this blogging stuff, I was off of work for the summer. 

 Truly, it sounded like a great idea at the time, I would be relaxing up at the lake, having my coffee, listening to the loons call to one another and I thought, oh what fun, I should start a blog... I can share my thoughts and ideas on various subjects, show different projects that I am working on, explain what type of stupid saw to use when ripping a board to make a sign (while trying not to loose a finger in the process),
yada, yada, yada....

Well guess what, I am back at work and don't have time to file my nails much less sit down and type about what style of fabric I am thinking about buying to make some stupid pillows with!

I am a secretary in a middle school and went back to work on August 16th. 

 The above clip art seriously looks like my desk right now...the start up of the school year is like
Black Friday, EVERY DAY!!

So lately, when I get home from work, I walk in the door, my darling hubby (who is a retired officer, fireman and paramedic...yes, I scored and got three sweet guys all in one) will look at me and ask me in his calm, sweet caring way, how my day was?  My typical response is a snarl, "Are you freakin' kidding me??
I haven't peed since I woke up this morning, LEAVE ME ALONE!"
When I come back into the living room, I plant myself in my mushy chair, put my feet up on the ottoman and proceed to stare mindlessly at that big box (I think it's a TV) and I start relax...and then...I hear...
"Honey, what's for dinner?"



Here's the deal ...I LOVE MY JOB!!!
This time of year I may come home numb and shell shocked, but you know what?
I really do like those darn kids and all the craziness that goes with the job:  Nervous parents, sick kids, phone calls, files that need to be sent out, teachers needing printouts, medications that need to given to students, reports and letters that need to be sent to parents, medical issues, crying students (sometimes getting teary eyed with them) printing the 5th schedule for students because they keep loosing it, assigning lockers to all the students...OKAY...FINE....you get the idea....
I Really DO Like my Job!

So next time you have to go to your child's school, don't be afraid to bring in some chocolate
for the school secretary or just tell her what a good job she is doing because you know what,
while you're out having lunch with your friends, she is taking care of your precious children making sure they are being fed, they are getting on the right bus, etc.

Thanks for reading -
Talk soon  -

Beth

Happy Labor Day!

Our kids just left the cottage and a lot of fun was had by all!!  Pontoon ride, bon fires under the full moon, licking our sticky fingers from the s'mores, sitting on the beach with magazines chatting and lots of great food!  I didn't make all the recipes I had previously posted, however, I can assure you, nobody went hungry. 

I had to laugh when I looked at this picture, our granddaughter was to busy looking at the fashion magazine to smile for the picture.  Please ignore the messy table...but do take note of the White Pizza Dip that I did make...and yes, it was shut the front door good!

Last night we were invited to a trout boil at some friends of the family's house.  I will be honest, and I even told our buddy Todd (the host) this, I was very skeptical.  I had never had trout and if there is any hint of fishy taste, I am out of there.  I had Ribeye's and all the fixin's for sides in our refrigerator as back up, just in case.

Once again, I forgot my camera last night which means I borrowed these pictures from a site for Door County WI to give you an idea of what the boiled dinner looks like.  Fish boils are a huge attraction in Door County and if you are planning on going to one, you need reservations well in advance.

Let me tell you....the meal was FABULOUS!!  Todd did an awesome job.  I won't tell you how many times I went back for more.  I didn't even have room for dessert - trust me, this is pretty serious when a girl would rather bulk up on fish and skip the sweets.  I told Todd he can cook for me anytime.

Memorial Day Weekend...The start of what will be a Fabulous Summer!

As the summer is winding down, kids are coming back to school tomorrow and the season is about to change, I look back on this summer and feel so blessed.  Our cottage is a place where we can escape to, share happy times and create wonderful memories with our family and friends.

July 4th photo shoot with our very happy granddaughter.

                                                                             Our son getting engaged to this gorgeous girl        

                                                                              that I will be excited to call my daughter-in-law.

My beautiful mom and sister making the drive up to the lake to visit with us late July for my birthday.

Our granddaughter's 6 month
photo shoot.

Discovering grass is indeed picky.

 Yes, it WAS a GrEaT SuMmeR!!

         

Have a wonderful week!

Talk soon - 

Beth

Planning the Menu for Labor Day Weekend!

Thank You Pinterest!!  

Low Calorie Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Spiced Doughnuts...YUM!!

People on Pinterest tonight may be wondering if I have an issue with food because I have been a pinning machine all night with all the yummy looking pictures.  I am putting together a menu for Labor Day weekend and here are some great ideas I may be trying:

Mozzarella, tomato, pesto grilled cheese with avocados...Lunch one day.

Oh boy, now things are starting to get a little crazy...white pizza dip...as our son would say, "Let's Get Nuts"!

A wise woman told me one time, "Don't let cooking  interfere with your drinking"!
I like to listen really well to wise people.

Margarita Chicken....Another, Oh Boy!
Seriously will be trying this recipe, looks way to easy.

Can't forget the the dessert!!  Doesn't this look like shut the front door good?!

Our daughter and I have been trying recipes from Pinterest all summer and found some real keepers.  The best part of Pinterest...I actually look forward to cooking and baking again!  

If you think you might want to try these ideas also, go to my Pinterest Board "Deeeelicious" and you will find the recipes.

I will let you know if I actually make these recipes and how they turn out, then I will proceed to tell you about the new fitness program that I need to sign up for...yeah right!  Hey, forget about calories...IT'S A HOLIDAY!  My number one rule:  As long as you don't make a steady diet of some of these things, I say go for it.

Thanks for reading!

Beth

I've Been Told....

Our son came to hang out with us the other night before heading up to the cottage for "Fencl's Beach 2012".  This is where he and his buddies (since T-Ball age) will go up to the cottage, hang out, have a campfire and talk smart into the wee morning hours.  Yes, there will be some adult beverages consumed I am sure.  Rule number one:  I don't care how old you are, this protective mama doesn't want you 25 year olds boys (that I have watched grow up) driving or going anywhere near the water.  

Campfire at the cottage one night this summer...Had to get the sunset!

Getting back to what started me typing this, my sweet son told me I have to stop changing the look of my blog because no one will follow me!  Here is the scoop...I am a NEW blogger as of this summer and seriously don't know how to set this thing up and get the look and feel for how I want my template and layout to look.  When I posted a while back that less is more...I guess I lied.  This menopausal brain wants cute, eye catching and well, I guess, more fun.

Sooooo, again, if things change with the look of my template (which I think will probably happen) please be patient don't give up on me - at some point I will figure this all out!  Hey, look at it this way, you might get to see some different looks and I could say I am really trying to keep your interest with the always changing things up....right....

Great weekend everyone!

Beth

Painting a Chair and Adding a Cushion...So Easy!

This chair has been sitting in our shed for over a year.  I bought it at an auction years ago, because, well, hmmmm, I like chairs.  I always think I can paint them up and give them new life.  Well this poor sucker has been waiting for years to get a face lift.

I always thought the color of this thing was awful!  Downright nasty!  Yikes...started painting it this awesome red and almost forgot to take my before picture.  As you can see, I was impatient and did not prime the wood.  When painting wood, you want to rough it up first, prime it and then paint.  Yes, I was lazy and will probably kick myself later...won't be the first time. 

I had this fabric and picked up the foam and Joanne Fabrics.  I rounded the foam on the corners to fit the seat.  Once I lined up the foam on the chair, I set the foam aside and started stapling the fabric at the back of the chair first.  Then sliding the foam into the pocket, I kept stapling and pulling the fabric to get a tight fit.  When the cushion was completely stapled down, I cut the excess fabric.

As I stapled, I did have a hammer to help hammer in some of the staples into the wood.  To hide the staples, I cut a strip of fabric and twisted, bunched and turned while hot glueing in place.

This old chair had so many possibilities and truthfully I couldn't decide what I was going to do with it.  Red being my favorite color, I figured why not have a little fun with it.  Now my honey can go out into the shed and not complain about tripping over this cute little thing.  

This cute little chair now resides in our home office that I revamped.  I am just not quite done with it.  This going back to work during the school year after being off all summer really cuts into my play time.

Have a great weekend!

Beth

Crackling a Frame.

I will admit it, I get bored easily.  Sweetie is up at the cottage, I came back to town (this girl has to work tomorrow) and I have been playing on the computer since I got home.  Yesterday I posted about relaxing and smelling the fresh air....yeah right!  I'm bored!  Who the heck am I kidding... I can only relax and sit for so long (maybe 1.5 hours at the most to snuggle with grandbaby) and then I start to get twitchie.  So I guess when I posted my last post, I was totally relaxing up at the lake and now that I am home, I am back to business.

On another note, I am a Pinterest addict!!! When I do finally sit down at night I love playing on this site.  A lot of my ideas for around the house lately have been coming from Pinterest.  If you are wondering what to do with your bathroom, kitchen, garden, outhouse, you name it, you will find great ideas on how to do just about anything.  Mr. Wonderful will either love me for putting you onto this sight because you will be trying new recipes or he will hate me because you may start tearing the house apart and trying to enlist his help.  To keep peace, as in my last post I said to try to do the projects yourself and he should be okay and possibly impressed with your ambition.  Truthfully, the majority of my projects are done when hubby isn't around to give me his two cents and just plain get in my way, and believe me, I get a ton done when my darling is gone.   So if your honey is planning a trip with the guys, maybe that will be a good time for you to spread your wings.

Here is a project I did this past spring.  I got the idea off, yes, you guessed it, Pinterest.   Sorry I don't have step by step instructions with pictures,  I did this before starting this blog.

BEFORE PICTURE

If you have a frame or a piece of wood  do a sample first to see if you like the effect.

AFTER PICTURE

What you need is Elmers Glue, an old paint brush and two colors of paint (one dark/black  flat color and a contrasting color for the top coat).  First you paint the wood the dark color.  The frame I had was already pretty dark, so I opted not to do this first step and it still worked.  When it drys,  you paint the Glue onto the wood  (heavier for wide cracks) and as the glue  starts to get tacky,  you paint your contrasting color. Don't wait to long to paint the top coat, if the glue is too dry, you won't get the crackles.   As your top coat of paint starts to dry, you can watch the cracks begin to form.  It's awesome!! 

For the wrought iron, I dry brushed it to give it a worn aged look.

The site I saw this technique was http://makethebestofthings.blogspot.co.uk/2010/05/crackle-finish-with-elmers-glue.html  The gal showed several different looks that she was trying to achieve for you to see.

I used to faux finish for people and one of the things that I always did BEFORE the project was a sample board.   You always want to do a sample board before a project to make sure you like the look you want to achieve.  Better to ruin a piece of old wood than the dresser that you wanted to give a shabby chic look to.

Let me know if you try this...it's fun to do and better yet...it's CHEAP!

Good Luck and we will talk soon!

Beth

My New Blog Title!

So here's the deal....I never liked my last title for my blog, Painting and Projects.  Yes, I love to be busy with projects, but there is more to life than projects. 

This past Tuesday for instance...I was cleaning like a maniac and I decided to let my beautiful almost 6 month granddaughter take an hour an a half nap snug in my arms.  Just sitting and rocking with this beautiful little girl got me ta thinkin'....It's not about projects and painting and driving yourself crazy with being busy all the time.  It's about enjoying life...spending time snuggling and playing with our little peanut, sharing laughter with your girlfriends, sitting on the deck up at the lake having coffee with my sweetie,  listening to the loons call to one another, having a glass of wine under the moonlight, looking up at the stars, sitting around a campfire with family eating smore's, playing fetch with my black lab Lucy...it's about SLOWING DOWN!

When I started this blog I wanted to share all my projects (and will continue to do so) so while rocking little girl I started thinking, "Is a blog about bragging about yourself OR are you just sharing ones thoughts and ideas?"  This is what I want my blog to be...

An inspiration to women.   I want women to see that no matter how old you are, you can try new things.  You don't have to be afraid of drilling, sawing, cementing, painting, you know....guy things.  You don't have to wait for your honey to DO it for you.   Educate yourself,  go on You Tube and type in something you want to try and maybe you may find a tutorial.  I used to follow my dad like a puppy when he was working at his work bench and around the house.  I think I was in my thirty's before he actually let me use his electric saws and drills!  I guess you can ask your honey for help once in a while (I don't want to be blamed for a lost finger or an eye being taken out). 

As in my last post, I noted that I was 51 years old and learned how to bow hunt.  It wasn't about the kill, it was about a new experience and saying that I CAN climb 35 feet into a tree, sit for several hours, watch bear under me, watch mama deer and fawns come in (trust me, I will NEVER shoot a mama or fawn) and play.  Just sitting up in the tree and smelling the fresh air of the north woods is peaceful, quiet and RELAXING.

So there you have it.  I hope this all makes sense.  It took me a week to type since I am back to work.  Now I have to figure out why this site won't let me download a picture.

Have a great weekend!!

Talk soon!

Beth

Changes....

It's been a few days since we finished our outdoor shower and I am already looking for something to do.  I guess my blog is my project at this point in the day (8:00 a.m.).

Truthfully, I don't know what the hell I am doing with this and when I initially set it up, I felt like I had to get fancy with my template and have foo foo stuff going on.  The more I am looking at it, I decided less is more.   Keep your eyes open for all my menopausal changes to this blog, when the mood hits me and I feel like playing, my blog is the first thing to take the hit.

Speaking of hits, I have to share this picture with you.  Not sure if you can see it, but I split the arrow dead center with another arrow!!  I hear that it is called a "Robin Hood". 

Practicing  yesterday with my new bow for the first time... I split the darn thing!!

I started bow hunting last year.  Yes, at age 51, I took up a new hobby to share with my hubby.  As we are advancing in our years together and this is a passion of his, I thought I could try it.  In my mind, I was thinking...Shoot, I can sit up in a tree for hours-no big deal, I'll bring a book and nobody will bug me.  I found out there is more to it than that!  


To make this story short (sorry, it's hard to actually make this short) after much practice, I climbed up a tree 35 feet, sat in a stand and shot a 6 point buck (should of been an 8 pointer, but I was happy with 6).  Trust me, I cried like a baby until Steve got to the site, we tracked it, found it and then I couldn't call enough people to brag about my rookie shot!  I was HOOKED!!

So as fall approaches, in addition to my projects, I will be touching on my "Up North Exploits" in the woods.

On that note, I will sign off and try to think of a new title for my blog....perhaps "Robyn Hoodette".  

Thanks for reading - Talk soon - 

Beth

Outdoor Shower Project Continued...

So here's the deal, I started this continuation blog this past Monday and now it's Friday and I am actually getting around to finishing it.  Truthfully, blogging and doing a project comes down to when to work, when to blog and when to relax.

We reached our goal last week and had our outdoor shower up and running by Friday evening!  Skipped dinner a couple of nights, worked until 9:00 another night, fought off mosquito's, swore a lot, sweat even more, but we did it.  I have tell you, when you are having hot flashes, it's warm out and you are dirty,  words tend to fly out of this mouth that make me feel like I need to go to confession!

Our kids came up Friday night and one after another Saturday, marched in and felt the wonderful sensation of taking an outdoor shower. Trust me, if you haven't ever done it, when it's hot out and you take a shower outside it's a refreshing feeling.

Here I am going in for my first shower...a true delight to the senses!

I stained the outside of the shower one day this week and we built the walkway to the left.  At some point, I will have to plant something to hide the hoses.

On Thursday I couldn't resist getting crafty.  My hands were just itching to make something for that blank wall. While Steve wasn't looking, I fired up the table saw, ripped this barn board, painted the sign, drilled a couple of holes, stole some camouflage rope from my darling hubby, took down a sprig of pine from the top of our cabinets and stapled it to the wood.  Baaada Bing Baaada Boom instant Craft!

Needless to say, today is Friday and I am totally enjoying myself not doing a darn thing except sitting here and playing on the computer.  Easily this was a two week project (I don't count weekends) and we are happy with our project.

Well, it's time for me to go snuggle with our adorable grandbaby.

Thanks for reading!

Beth

Building our Outdoor Shower up at the Lake!

This past weekend our good friends Jeff and Lynn came to visit us up at the lake and Jeff just LOVES projects.  So our boys decided kick it into gear and jump start our outdoor shower.  I will admit, if it hadn't been for Jeff, Steve and I would still be out back scratching our heads and throwing things at each other.  Between the two of them, they got the hardest parts (framing and plumbing) done.  Lynn and I had very hard jobs also, we were required to sit still and not ask questions...well actually, I was the one that needed to keep my mouth shut.  I tend to ask a few to many questions for my darling hubby's way of thinking.

Ok, disregard the dog house off to the side, we are still looking for takers on that. Comes with a chain link kennel if anyone is interested :-).  We decided we wanted the shower more than the dog kennel.  I just LOVE the smell of wet dog in the house...who doesn't right?  Truthfully, I hate the site of the darn kennel in the back, it just doesn't fit my decor.

Here are our strong guys soldering up the copper pipes.
 
After Lynn and Jeff left, I  wanted to go to work on the decking.  Steve had other plans.  After working two days, he wanted to take the rest of Sunday off and relax a little.  Ok fine, twist my arm, I was just exhausted ;-) also.  So we kicked back with my brother-in-law Mike and sister-in-law Sue, and proceeded to solve all the world problems and sip on a few frosty cold ones. Mike and Sue are just starting their two weeks of vacation and ready to let er snap.  We were very happy to oblige.

Monday, I stepped up the pace and got the Milwaukee going.  Steve cut the boards and I screwed those babies down.  I was thinking we would get the boards down and the walls up in one day...yeah right!  We got the boards down and finished up just in time to go out for dinner.

Tuesday, we started the walls.  I went to work at 9:00 a.m. and we quit at 6:15 p.m.  I really do have to laugh at myself.  I kept thinking we could get this thing up and running in a few days...maybe we should have hired out!

To be continued.....

Beth

Grandma Beth's Nursery!

This past January, our son acquired a position with a financial company in Madison, WI  requiring him to move out of our home and with our daughter getting married last June,  Steve and I are officially "Empty Nesters". Anyone that says you are empty nesters when the kids go off to college has it wrong.  Those are the baby step years to get you ready for the time when the little darlings leave for good.
 
With our home being a split level with four bedrooms we decided as empty nesters it's time to purge and get the house ready to put on the market (not to mention I hate cleaning it) and eventually down size, so after Ryan moved out, I got to work! I starting with the bedrooms and worked down, painting all the bedrooms, redecorating and PURGING!

My favorite project is the nursery.  This is our fourth bedroom, the smallest one, and over the years it was a guest room, craft room, office, storage and trust me sometimes a mess.  Initially my plan was to make this room into an office and one of the other bedrooms into a nursery, however, my brilliant niece Jenny (mother of three) took one look at the room and said to make this particular room the nursery, that way anyone looking at the house will see it as it is...a four bedroom home...what a smart girl!  So twist my arm and let me have some fun.

I wish I would have taken a picture of the room before I redid it (didn't plan on doing a blog at the time), it was a soft yellow and white trim.  It is a paneled room that I had painted years ago.  I primed the paneling with oil based Kilz and painted over it and never had a problem with the stain bleeding through or chipping.

When selecting paint for the majority of the house I wanted a neutral color so I went with mostly tan colors.  I love the way different tan colors will go with anything, especially white!  Home Depot became my favorite store...forget the mall, I am a painting fiend! 

Painting stripes on paneling is a piece of cake, the work/measuring is done for you.  To get this look, I painted the base coat first, Behr paint,  Basketry was the color.  Then I taped the panels for the stripes.  I bought the same color paint for the stripes only in High Gloss.  I loved the end result!

This is a dresser I picked up at an auction years ago.  At one point it was our entertainment center.  It has been sitting in our shed for numerous years and Steve has been threatening to give it away or toss it on the curb.  I knew at some point I was going to put it to good use and Steve knew that if he touched it there would be hell to pay.

Waaa Laaaa.... A changing table for Grandma Beth's nursery!  Little bit of primer, paint, new wood knobs that I painted and you have a fine little changing table...never mind the imperfections, it gives it character.  How fun is this?!

For the curtain tie back, I just happen to have on hand an antique door knob and metal tie back I had bought from Target a while back.  I pulled the decorative piece off the end of the thingie, snapped a pencil to fit the length, whittled some of the pencil to fit and placed the door knob on the top of the pencil that was stinking out and it was a  perfect fit.  I will say this, at some point I want to find some kind of an elbow to put in this so that the door knob is facing out, but for impatient Beth, this will be fine until then.

I couldn't resist showing one last picture. The little green chair is an old student chair that was in the garbage at the school where I work.  It needed a home and after getting permission, I scooped it up and brought it home.  Needless to say, it has been many different colors over the years.  My niece Jenny's little 3 year old has already tried it out and thinks it is mighty fine.

There you have it, my first project that I shared, I hope you liked it.   Let me know if you have questions.

Talk soon.....

Beth