Summer Projects & a lil' bit of fun

Mid -July already! Before you know it, it'll be time to take out the Autumn decorations; and don't think I'm not already thinking of them! I actually have some *new to me* Halloween decorations in my parlor right now! I acquired them from a dear friend who happily LOVES Halloween but sadly is in the middle of a divorce. She has a huge amount of old fashioned style and unusual Halloween stuff and must part with a good deal of it now that they are selling the house :(  So sad to see a marriage end. I thank God for what I have and the husband I love.

Anyway, she has been parting with some items from her home and giving them to me so I am in such a Fall mood even though it is VERY hot outside. She collected traditional Halloween (what I like) 
I am grateful for all the goodies. I want to start EARLY this year! I don't decorate for Halloween until the end of September but I do completely prepare my home for Autumn. My favorite time of year is Autumn--the colors, the smells, the things we do ---- my favorite time of year! I thrive in it! I want to prepare my centerpieces and wreaths and tablescapes ahead of time so that I can just put them out instead of just starting to create in Septemeber! We are supposed to have some heavy duty storms this afternoon/evening and that is going to break our heat wave so this is a good time for me to pull out my idea note books to find all the clippings and notes I keep for decorating and crafts and see exactly what I want to do this year! I love a good storm! But I didn't care too much for them Sunday night! We lost power for 6 hours and "Praise in the Park" was postponed. Our church was having a worship and praise event in Northport Village at the bandstand out under the stars....Postponed due to weather.

The sun hasn't stopped my son though. He may be only 13, but he has an interest in our home and yard like no other kid I know! As I always mention, one part of our yard suffered from extensive damage last year from Hurricane Irene. We lost 5 trees and it uprooted our large brick patio in many places and ruined bushes and plants. My son decided to fix the patio on his own (like Father, like Son) and that boy worked outside long and hard. No thought of going into our neighbor's pool even though he was repeatedly invited. No thought of coming inside to the air conditioning where I was :) nooooo he had to get it done and do it right and what a great job he did. He was beaming when his Dad came home that night and saw his work and complimented him! All those brickwork pictures...that's courtesy of my son's hard work.

I've been doing some little projects around here...I repainted and weathered the little chair I bought from Stormville. I haven't put it out yet but when I do I will show you! Billy and I cleaned up our old woodburning stove that we have for many years from Bird in Hand, Pennsylvania. We bought it at a salvage yard a good ten years back and it's very rusted as it has been outside for about thirty years! We transferred her to a garden bed after she was cleaned up. Next year I think I will have gerraniums in pots coming out of the open spots on top. Wouldn't that look sweet?  Originally we had planned to clean her up and use her as a table somewhere but when we placed her in the garden, she looked like she was home!

I made some chocolate bananas the other day! The kids loved them. I hadn't had them since I was about 5! I was buying fruit one day and some times the kids like strawberries dipped in chocolate. Then I saw the bananas and thought I will make chocolate frozen bananas so I bought the box and made them! Yummy! We had them when we came home from the beach and it was so refreshing. My husband has been working 7 days a week and when he came home one night he wanted to take his jet skiis out for a bit to cool down and unwind after a long, hard day. We went down to the beach which is the next town over,(literally 5 minutes away) and we had such a nice time. The kids enjoyed the water and then they took turns riding with their Dad.

We've also been moving my Mom into her new senior living apartment. That's been a long ordeal as my Mom is like me and has lots of stuff! It is taking a while but we are almost done.I borrowed some cookbooks from her from Bisquick. I  love "brand" style cookbooks...I have one that I love from Hidden Valley, Old El Paso, Hellmans and I subscribe to Kraft Food & Family. I look forward to sitting on my porch going through those Bisquick recipes! I know my Mom always made a number of their "Impossible Pie" recipes.

I sure have been enjoying Pinterest! How about you gals? Have a lovely day!

Connecticut!

I just couldn't wait to share my Connecticut photos with you.On Saturday night, June 30th, Billy and I and the kids went to Connecticut for a graduation party. My cousin Joanne and her husband live in Brookfield Center and their only daughter Emma graduated high school. They were having a graduation party at the beautiful Inn at Newtown. Connecticut is only 1.5 hours from Long Island so it's a pretty short trip for us; we used to go every month when my grandparents were alive. I have always loved Connecticut and it is one of the states I would consider relocating to IF EVER--Connecticut, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. My cousin had asked us to stay over after the party, but we couldn't as my husband had a business appointment Sunday morning.....Anyway, the Inn at Newtown was lovely! A historic building that was very large! Newtown is the quintessential New England town. I had been there before but not in a bout 5 years. It was such a nice party, and it was so great to see my cousins. The next morning after my husband's meeting, we took  a nice Sunday drive......back to Connecticut! My husband wanted to ride around Newtown, New Milford, and other towns we always liked. We love our road trips! I photographed some of my favorite houses! Hope you like them too!
We went to Candlewood Lake which was so pretty and filled with boats and beachgoers. I had played in that lake as a small child when we visited my grandparents! It was very serene even though there were many people. How nice it would be to have a house along that lake. Years ago you could purchase those homes for a song...as I said "years ago".......My husband would love to put his waverunners in there and have some fun!

A Prim Beauty

We drove around some more, going through Danbury,  and I passed my grandparents' home and of course photographed it. It hasn't changed too much :)  However the metal milk bottle box was no longer on the front porch waiting for the milkman :(       Wish I had it. for my porch... I remember sitting on it in the Summer in my shorts waiting for my cousin Joanne to walk down the road to play and the box stinging my bare legs with Summer heat! My kids were excited to see Great Grandma and Grandpa's house. They lived on a  ridge and it was fun to walk and play up there! They both passed away in the 1980's.  I showed them the spot on the ridge that as kids we referred to as "Spooky Valley" and they were intrigued ;)  Good times were spent in Connecticut.
We continued to drive around New Milford and came upon a cool shop! THE RUSTIC COUNTRY BARN! They specialized in building furniture from old barn wood! It was beautiful but EXPENSIVE. Gorgeous dining room sets and farm tables. The store was decorated with everything I love :) but I did behave myself and only bought one thing---a wooden sign that I hung over my front door (outside) that says "WELCOME TO THIS OLD HOUSE"...now I know my house isn't old...Billy built it in 2008....but we built it to LOOK OLD! so shhhhh! No one has to know she really isn't old!
Back to the shop, I wanted to smuggle out this old stove (and everything on it too) but that wouldn't be nice :)  I loved it sooooo much and was thinking where I could I put it????? until I saw the price tag and said "maybe another time :(     and Billy said maybe in the future...WAY WAY into the future at that price .....I know you can still pick up the old stoves in salvage yards...heck, my sister-in-law Kathy has 3 that she picked up in Pennsylvania over the past few years. I think I'll get the hints out to her.....Christmas is coming, Kathy...I would like that under my tree PLEASE---- and thank you!
 The whole shop was nice and we loved looking through it. My son loved this pillow with those lovely words and I photographed it so I would remember them and I could restitch it myself onto a pillow or a picture.
After New Milford, we went to Stew Leonards. Stew Leonards is a big food store that is very unique. It is sooo fun to go there, and we try to go every time we go to Connecticut. You can eat there (The Hoedown) and you can food shop. You can also buy plants and flowers! What is so fun about Stew's is that it is so animated! You are entertained while you shop and they also have little sample tables set up so you can taste the products! I LOVE THAT! I had a hard time prying my husband away fromthe cheese table. He kept disappearing to get more. Then Caitlin found the baby back ribs booth,  and she was in heaven. My baby girl loves her ribs! My son was loving the banana smoothies! The bananas sing to you and do the Chiquita banana mombo dance, the chicken trio cluck to you a lively song about the barnyard, the butter sticks are thrilled you've come to shop there--they say so  ( and I believe them) ---and there is a whole Dairy band made of butter sticks, smiling milk cartons and eggs. I LOVE SHOPPING HERE! Caitlin made friends with the roaming cow. What a fun place to visit.
Caitlin was a little freaked out when we went passed the salad bar area and she saw the sign that said "bunny salad"......the look of horror on her face was priceless until she read the rest of the sign and saw there were no actual bunnies used to make the salad~~just the veggies they to eat in your garden!

Stew Leonards is just a lot of fun. We had lunch there and saw the animals at the petting zoo and did some shopping!

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July. We went to my sister's annual 4th of July bbq and had a relaxing fun day with wonderful friends and relatives. My sister has a great pool with the best diving board, and Caitlin learned to jump off for the first time. Everyone was cheering for her. My son and daughter are real pool lovers! I can't swim at all :(   We all had a great time and just lounged in the yard watching the pool fun, eating and playing with the various puppies that are both in residence at my sister's house and those that were visiting! After we got home that night, we just  enjoed the fireworks in the sky!

My stove--I wish

so sweet

Candlewood Lake

singing bananas

UH OH!  Bunny Salad!

My Big Girl!

Time for me to get rolling here...I have to change our reservations for our trip as my husband is too busy to leave for the days we were going to PA...that's fine; I'm used to doing that! Thankful he's busy and in demand! Today it's house cleaning and some food shopping!  Have a terrific day!

Wishing you a Happy 4th!

Happy 4th of July everyone! Hope you all will enjoy a wonderful day doing what whatever your heart desires. We are heading to my sister's house later on for bbq and pool! Just a lovely relaxing family day. Enjoy! How blessed we are to live in a country like the USA!God Bless America!

Summer Fun Times

As I type this to you, a thunderstorm is raging...but not for long. Today our cooler temps will climb quite high and the sun will shine. Mid 90's we are being told by the local news. Not my cup of tea for sure, but I am trying to appreciate all that Summer has to offer with the beauty of the plants and flowers thriving in the heat, growing with the sudden downpours and thunderstorms and relishing a time of no schedules for school and activities. We are off to a good start. We've enjoyed meals in our backyard at the patio table, breakfast on the front porch, fire pits and smores at night. We've caught fireflies and gone for long walks, chased the ice cream man more times then I care to mention (he drives too fast or I'm getting slow :(   We have gone swimming and sat with family for bbqs. I love every minute of it. Although we do have the occasional bickering between siblings, we are a peaceful house :) Peaceful and quiet and reflective. I often think about what we have accomplished with this house my husband built in 2008 and although it isn't quite finished, I often reflect on what a huge project he embarked on--building an entire home by himself. As I rock back and forth in my favorite chair on the porch, I think about how we lived in the basement for one full year as my husband demolished and then completely rebuilt the house above our heads. Now I can enjoy the fruits of his labor...and we all are.
My son has been working tirelessly in our yard. He loves outdoor work just like his Dad. At 13 years old, he already appreciates so many things it can take a lifetime for an adult to realize. He loves building, he is interested in decorating, plants, farms, food, everything...He loves all things that make a family a family.  He loves hunting garage sales and tag sales and all things antique and redo-able. That's my boy!
He has been transforming one side of our yard that  had lost the 5 trees from Hurricane Irene and what a job he has been doing! I will post  photos when he is finished. He has transplanted bushes, pulled weeds, stacked brick, cultivated his way around that side yard that now it looks delightful. But he still has one section left so he wouldn't let me photograph it. We plan to replace the trees that were lost with Leland Cypress--a whole row. That's the plan...but for now it's just clean up! I'm so proud of him.
He was also the recipient of a really cool birthday gift from his Aunt Linda~~Linda knows Billy likes retro and old stuff like his Mom & Dad :)    She bought him this really cool cd holder/cabinet that looks like  50's drink machine! How cool is that? AND when we went into the Christmas Tree Shoppe we saw these retro Coca Cola signs, and Billy bought two to hang in his room. I love how it looks! One is hanging by his favorite metal sign--Cracker Jack & his doggy.
Speaking of retro~~we had some fun for lunch that day with Aunt Linda too! (BTW Linda is one of my husband's 3 sisters and she lives in Deer Park which is like 20 minutes away) We went to Johnny  Rockets! What an amazing place. My kids were teasing me that I was living my Happy Days dream---knowing my love for the Fonz :)   (hey, I'm a 70's kid and EVERYONE loved Fonzie)

CD Cabinet!

Look at the cool interior. They got it right! The juke box, the chrome tables and chairs, the music that was playing, the signs on the walls, and the staff wearing a uniform with that cool triangle hat. My Grandpa and Uncle Frank owned a Carvel from the 60's till the mid 80's and they wore those paper triangle hats! I love them. I actually wanted one from Johnny Rockets. Maybe next time....Anyway, I had a burger and a chocolate milkshake as did my kids and Linda. When they served Caitlin her plate,they had a separate plate with ketchup for her fries made into a smile :)  love those personal touches. It makes us feel special. We had fun! I told Linda her name for the lunch was Ralph Malph, Billy was Potsy and Caitlin was Richie Cunningham---I was the Fonz.....they didn't want to play :(  I really wanted to be Howard anyway and dispense good advice at the table.....   :0  ......Loved Tom Bosley.    Enough silly talk!  We had a blast!

New sign for his room!

Onto the Christmas Tree Shoppe where I got me a new flag that goes perfectly with my house. An aged, tea stained tan cloth flag! LOVE IT!  I also got some eucalyptis to fill that brass receptacle thingy I got at a garage sale (see a few posts back). We still don't know if it's an umbrella holder or what...Linda says it's a tall spittoon (yuck)...I say it's a "receptacle"  :)   say it in a "proper" voice --receptacle..... and we're going with that!!! I like how it came out! And Christmas Tree Shoppes is very reasonable. Eucalyptis only $1.99 a bunch...I used two to fill 'er up! I also got two braided rugs--one for the kitchen and one for the family room by the sliding doors.  Love that place. I could buy a whole lotta stuff there!

I also changed up the barn star birdhouse that hangs on my porch. I affixed that wooden American birdhouse OVER the plain one. It brightened it up and I added some Americana berries. Happy 4th of July!

Another sool one near Mr. Cracker Jack

Before I go, I jst wanted to share some photos of some of my other cats. Have you met Dixie? We have her for 8 years. We rescued her from a big park in Smithtown. It took us 3 visits there to catch her! She must have been there for quite some time. She is deaf and she has hardly any teeth hence the reason her tongue hangs out! The vet had told us that she probably broke her teeth trying to open up things to eat from dumpsters or from fighting. She is a sweetheart who loves her home. She is happy EVERY DAY! We call her Dixie Doodle. She is so grateful  and loves her family. We love her so much.

I know you have met Red Cat....He's called Red Cat because when he was s stray outside he used to hear me say "Where is that red cat? I want to feed that red cat" ....sooooo he thought his name was Red Cat and that is what he answers to. Now he is not a stray but for the last 6 years he is ours...and he likes to lounge on the porch chairs. He's very protective of his house. He is like O'Malley  the Alley Cat from the Disney movie the Aristocats  (One of my favorites).

Order Up!

Two happy faces!

DELICIOUS!

Love my new (OLD) flag!

Pretty RECEPTACLE :)

Dixie

The rain has ended and the sun is out! Another day ready to begin!  Have a joyous one!