4th of July LoVe

Around our house, we love the 4th of July! 

I added a few touches of

red

to our back porch.

This red star rests on a white chair on the front porch. 

How easy was that? 

Spent the morning on the porch with 

an old grapevine wreath,

some blue and cream garland (from a garage sale),

a red star, 

a little wire,

and WhAmO -- a new front door!

 

The top of our TV cabinet next to the stairway. . .

WalMart pinwheels for a buck. Score!

Three in an old Poudre Canyon milk bottle, 

a vintage potholder resting on a metal picnic basket, 

and a cake stand from my collection 

sit upon the kitchen table.

(More about my collecting problem later. . . )

The ligntin' bugs on the prairie have been magical this year.

Elli, Madison, and their cousin Lauren will be catching theirs

in these plastic peanut butter jars 

that I spiffied up with some of my scrapbooking supplies. 

 

I am addicted . . . 

  

Salad with strawberries, blueberries, dried cranberries, and walnuts.

Drizzle a bit of sugar free raspberry vinaigrette over the top.

I am in love. 

And for the 4th, 

we'll stuff our faces with ice cream (made in a bag) and  berries!

HaPpY 4tH oF JuLy!

Ready for the party!

Finished!

And ready to party! I stitched up a few pillow covers 

with my new outdoor material, 

and these chairs were ready to rock it at Madison's 10th birthday party. 

Unfortunately, we learned that the blue chair reclines slightly when perched upon. 

Though a good conversation piece 

when it nearly dumps its unsuspecting occupant, 

it's going to have to be retired to the garden.

(Sorry about that, Dad!)

Maybe it will get Sandi's

pretty red distressed look after all!

(Click here to see Sandi's chairs.)

Now I'm on the hunt for another to take its place as a part of this lovely trio. 

Scrape, Sand, Paint

Today -- chair roundup. 

Here they are, posing casually in front of the corn field. 

I can't tell you how hard it was for me 

to paint that chair on the left 

after seeing a pair of these beauties 

a dear friend distressed to look just like this! 

I may change my mind yet, 

but for now, 

blue will do for this guy. 

Maybe his mate will sport this look after I dig her out of the phlox patch.

So in between scraping and the sanding and the coats of primer and paint, I spent a little more time spiffying up the back porch. 

I finally "finished" this project after dark and snapped a few pictures.

I found a few old pickets hiding out in the garage, 

so I sawed them in half and hammered 'em together to make this star. 

Not sure I'm fond of the ribbon I hung it with, so that may have to change.

These are the paddles 

we use on family canoe trips down the creek 

that runs behind our house. 

Sitting in the garage does not do them justice.

And it may just remind us that it's time for another trip down the Pawnee, 

complete with weenie roast and campfire. 

And here are my chairs -- all painted 

and huddled with a variety of other pieces on back porch. 

With a chance of storms tonight, 

I'm not taking the chance that they'll be scattered across the yard in the morning! 

Pictures of these at work will just have to wait.

Slumber Party

Wowza!

Three friends + pizza + movies + a basement = one happy almost-ten-year-old girl! 

Now that the girls are finally settled in 

and watching a movie,

I'm grabbing a few minutes for myself.

So I picked up some outdoor material over the weekend. 

I've got pillows on my mind for the patio furniture we have left. We've had some fatalities over the past few years, and some of what we have left is a little bent. 

Or splintered. 

Or maybe not really very safe to sit in. 

But dang it, wind, you are not going to win!

Garage Treasures, etc.

Another perk of living on the family farm? 

A few chores to take care of 

while the "bosses" are away. 

Wish I had taken a few pictures of Madison, our oldest, 

feeding the bottle calf before church this morning. 

Nearly all of the cow-calf pairs are now 

vacationing in lush green pastures a few hours away, 

but a couple of momma cows and this baby remain nearby. 

What a beautiful way to start the day. 

By this afternoon, I was ready to get back to work! 

I began by paining this screen door 

"olive spring" green. 

While I was waiting for it to dry, I started digging through our garage. I found enough 

junk

to spruce up the back porch. Here's a sneak peek:

I have more work to do, but this is a start! 

P. S. Thank you, Sandi, for your inspiration! This dear friend started her blog (Dream, Create, Grow) a few months ago and is one creative woman! I'd also like to thank my sister-in-law, Anney, for sharing her creativity through a blog (Blessed). She shares our passion for junking and has a real knack for decorating with her treasures! Keep on blogging, girls!

Simply Me

Ahhhh . . . summer!  

As passionate as I am about teaching, I am just as passionate about summer! 

It's the time of year I can 

tackle all of those projects at home 

that I've been putting off all year. 

I also get the chance to recharge and develop new ideas 

to use in my classroom this fall. 

And so begins my blog -- to document this simple life we live on the prairie. I'll share projects, inspiration, and a slice of our life here in rural Nebraska.
I really wanted to name it

"Camp (something...)" 

but I couldn't decide what to replace that "something" with. After all, a  

summer camp is really what defines me. 

Rivers, canoeing, campfires, crafts, creating, cooking, growing . . .
I'm inspired by these simple elements of life here in Nebraska.
And I loved going to camp as a kid.

So, here goes nothing -- a sort of "digital scrapbook" of my life and 

what I love about this prairie. 

My inspiration comes from those fascinating people I've gotten to know through their blogs. 

Thanks for inspiring me to begin my own.

Love filling old watering cans with flowers. This can sits on a bench on our front porch. It's one we dug out of an old dump -- just one of the perks about living on what I'll affectionately refer to as "the farm." Five years ago we moved back to the farm, smack dab in the middle of an alfalfa field belonging to my dad, brother, and nephew. 
The old garden gate behind it was a gift from my mom, who has passed her love for junk on to me! In fact, she just sent this old typewriter home with me yesterday. Adding it to the project list.

 

  

This chair needs some love. 

Hmmm . . . do I try a new color or stick with yellow?