Out With The Old, In With The New

I had a yard sale today, it went very well, and I will do it all over again tomarrow, several others went in on it with me. Let Me just say, I love going to sales much more than I love having one. So, after i closed up my sale, i went garage sailing.

This is what i could not resist. This home made wood, umm thing was $3, you can use it this way, or turn it upside down, i have not decided how i am going to use it, or where, all i know is, i had to have it.

My upstairs bathroom has lighthouses in it, One might think the bathroom might be an odd place for light houses but, it works . So when i saw this picture, well, first i talked her down from $5 to $2, i had to have it. I know which spot this will go.

Below is my " I am So excited!" find. Skip does`nt like it but, i love it, and it has a matching tv tray. I am trying this table out in my front porch, just trying it out mind you, it could end up anywhere. I paid $8 for this wicker table, and $5 for the tv type tray. It`s heavy, and very sturdy, and i just love it!

I also bought a sewing machine for $5, i don`t need another one but, i thought i should have a spare. No picture because, how boring it would be looking at an old sewing machine. Anyway, i just had to show you what i bought! And now being i sold a bunch of stuff, i have room for it!

Bothersome Matter

Buying locally. I have done a pretty good job of this for about 20 years. But in the last 6 months, the savings i have seen by not buying locally is staggering.



I was a firm believer in buying locally, staying within our tiny town as much as possible. Of course there are things we cannot buy locally, such as clothing and perscriptions. but we do have a grocery store, hardware store, gift shops, lumber company, diners, conveinience stores, gas stations, flower shop ocationally, and thank goodness, a funeral home. I`m not a clothes horse so the lack of clothing in tiny town does not bother me. Our basic needs are being met.


BUT the price differances are astronomical. For example, we started painting our house with locally bought paint. Then one day we were in walmart, 45 miles away, we needed primer, so we bought a gallon of Kilz 2. In tiny town, we pay $19.99 a gallon, at walmart, we paid $13.00. That is a $7.00 a gallon savings. Now, if we needed just one gallon of primer, it would be no big deal to pay that price in town. But, if we need 20 gallons, we will save $140.00 on just the primer! For a gallon of exterior white paint, we pay 26.00 a gallon in town, we bought paint out of town for $14.99, 20 gallons is a savings of $220.00.



Another example, for smaller items are , lets say i want a package of name brand cookies, and i usually do. In tiny town, i pay about $3.89, at walmart, i pay $2.50. Pretty much anything i buy out of town, i will save a dollor or more on most every item. All of these savings pay for the gas plus a meal out, if we so choose. I pay $9.99 for a cube of Diet Dew here, i pay $6.50 or less somewhere else. I am finding it very difficult to justify shopping in tiny town, yet, i feel guilty about it.



I understand that the prices will be higher in a smaller town, especially when things need to be shipped farther but, such dramatic differances? Also, i know walmart can get their products cheaper, because they buy more, but, these things still do not in my mind justify such a huge price differance.


So, today i am going shopping, out of town, not to walmart, but to another grocery store that is very closely priced to walmart. And i will go with guilt.



Should one feel guilty for not shopping locally just to save money? I am torn.

My Almost Finished Kitchen

I have been working on my kitchen for the last couple of months, It seems like it is taking forever, because all i am doing is repainting. But, i am painting the cupboards, with oil base paint, it seems like a dumb decision now but, oil base paint holds up so much better. It does`nt help that every inch of this kitchen had to be repainted. The ceiling, the walls, the wainscotting, the trim, the doors.

So, here are a couple of my favorite areas in my kitchen. Below is my cooking area, do you see that little brown counter between the stove and fridge? That needs to be painted white yet, inside and out. That is the old color, yuck. What was i thinking? Maybe i was in the throws of menopause and i did`nt realize it would look like crap alone with dark marroon wainscotting, that is my excuse.


See that shelf? That funky little shelf. We have lived here for 23 years, i have been talking to Skip all these years about putting a shelf over the stove. Well, it never became a reality untill, about a month ago or so. I was just rambling one day, and happened to mention, now all i need is a shelf above that stove. Skip looked at me, said ok, went to his garage, and about an hour later, came in with that shelf. I was a little stunned to say the least.


The funky part about this shelf is, we once had an old upright piano, after the kids left, it spent it`s time being moved from room to room, i tried, but i could`nt give it away. It was`nt one of those pretty old ones, this was stained very dark, almost black and very plain. So, one day, i had Skip and the boy tear it apart. Skip saved all the wood, for whatever reason. Part of that old piano is the shelves , the sides were made by something else that once was, and are stained a nice green. I was going to paint the whole thing but the more i looked at it, the more i loved it just as it was. So, i finally have a shelf ! You rock Skip!



We love coffee, he loves Folgers, and i LOVE Folgers Vanilla Biscottie. That little brown jar on the top shelf holds mine. The rule is, whoever gets up first and makes coffe, gets to make their favorite. We gave our bunn coffee maker a place of it`s own. Meet my coffee corner. i just finished that little rug yesterday. Is`nt it cute? I love my coffee corner!

Soon i will be completly done with my kitchen and that will be a huge releif! Then i`ll show you the rest of my kitchen.

Untill then, happy sipping!

From Rags To Riches

This is what i started with for this project, strips of fabric cut and rolled up into a bunch of balls. They don`t look very promising do they? I never know which balls i will use untill the project has been started. Oh, see that trunk those balls are on? I picked that up at a garage sale years ago. The old man who was selling it was in his late 70`s, came from finland with his mother when he was a boy, and this is the trunk they brought with them. He had painted it white and was using it for a tool box in his garage. He wanted $2 for it, can you believe that?


I have obviously chosen beige as my starting point. I love beige, that helps. Hmmmm, my quilt seems to be hanging a bit lopsided, i will remedy that soon.

I also love forest green, and many other shades of green, i`m a green freak. As you can clearly see, my *model* is not so much into fashion, and, he really can`t crochet a lick, but i needed his big strong hands, and he was game. Notice the remote , always by his side. I have used two rows of forest green, and now am chasing it with beige again. Do you know what this is yet?

I thought this gold would be a nice addition, what do you think?

Wow, that went fast! I`m done already! it`s a heart shaped rug, i have been making these for years, I`ve sold quite a few also, infact, i am considering selling them at a local craft fair brfore Christmas, we`ll see. I also make oval and round ones too, those are alot of fun too, and you`d be surprised how fast they work up. If Addy sees this post, she is going to remind me that i did promise to send her the instructions......one day. So there you have it, my rug!

Maybe now my son in law Scott will believe i actually make these rugs and not buy them as he thought last Christmas. Scott, do you? huh do you?

My Favorite Place

The Chippewa used to called this lake Gitche Gumee, We call it Lake Superior. The North Shore of this lake is my favorite place. There is so much beauty , it takes Your breath away.We used to go there every year, it was Mine and Skips little get away place alone. We`d take one weekend during the summer, or fall, and as late as November, It did`nt matter when, it`s beauty was year round. It has been several years since we have been there, and i really do think it is time to make that little trip again soon.


The North Shore begins in Duluth, MN. My favorite place in Duluth is Canal Park. This light house is at Canal Park, it is a great place to stand and watch the ships and boats come in. Canal Park has wonderful shops, great dining places, a maritime museum, a boardwalk along the shore, and hundreds of seagulls. it is a very fun place to visit.

But the most interesting thing it has, is this lift bridge. This bridge was built during 1929-1930, it`s purpose was to connect Park Point to Canal Park, Park Point being a residential neighborhood, but a regular bridge would not do, because ships and boats had to be able to pass under it to get into the harbor. So C.P. Turner and Thomas F. McGilvry designed a lift bridge. The bridges maximum height is 227 feet, it`s length is 386 feet. This is the bridge when it is in the down position.

Below is the bridge lifting to allow a boat to pass under, the bridge does`nt always rise to it`s full height, it only lifts to the height needed to allow a peticular boat to pass. It is operated manually. Look closely and you can see a small boat passing under. When the bridge lifts, traffic from both directions stop and wait. This is Duluths biggest attraction.

After the stop at Canal Park, which never gets boring, it is off to the North Shore of this huge beautiful lake. Lake Superior is the coldest, deepest and highest in elevation of the Great Lakes, it is 350 miles long, and 160 mile wide, and has 2,980 miles of shoreline. There is alot to explore along this lake!

Speaking of cold, one unusually hot summer, we packed the kids in the car and headed for Lake Superior to go swimming. We are 90 miles from the lake, and the promise of cooler weather was too hard to resist. When we got to the lake, we all joined hands so we would not lose the kids, and tip toed into the lake, oh my gosh! Immediately our legs began to sting from the cold, and we could not stay in there longer than a couple minutes, as we were rushing out of the lake, mind you , we were still holding hands, a passerby looked at us and said, " you all look like a suicide pact!" I swear i heard him mumble " tourists!" It was the quickest dip we`d ever taken. Since then, we stay on the shore or rocks when we visit. Is`nt it beautiful?!
See those stones below? This is how the rocks wash up on shore, all rounded smooth, and flat. miles and miles of these stones. It is a great place for a rock hound.

Below is the Temperance River Gorge, it is stunning. But do not step too closely to the edge, it is dangerous, if you fall in, you will not come out alive. The water in this gorge is so forcefull it will spit you into the lake in a matter of minutes.

This pretty waterfall is the Cascade River Falls, everywhere you go along the North Shore is pictureque, for miles and miles.

Below is an Ore Boat, this is a common site on Lake Superior, these boats haul the ore that comes out of the Taconite Mines on the Iron Range in Northeaster Minnesota. The lake is filled with these boats.

And this spectacular site is The Split Rock Light House. One of several that can be found along the North Shore. These rocky cliff shores are plentiful, we once stayed a night in a cabin that was built right on the edge of a similar cliff. It was an amazing view.

These are just a few of the sites that keep bringing me back again and again. Everytime i go there, something new is discovered. If you ever get the opportunity, go there, see it, you won`t be dissapointed.

My First Blog Giveaway Win

Not that i am bragging or anything, no no no, BUT, if you mosie on over to Noble Pigs website, you will see that i just won a book! The Food Snobs Dictionary, and i can`t wait to get it. Look to the side bar and just click on Noble Pig, that will take you there!


Are you all jealous or what?


And, something is wrong with my blogger, i can`t download pics, or ANYTHING. It may be my computer, i am going to check that out right now. I really wanted to do a post about my favorite place, Lake Superiors North Shore......so stay tuned!

One Down, Three to Go

Three sides that is!

Whew, the front of the house i completely done, save for the porch floor, that is being saved untill next spring, it`s a big job.

I was a bundle of nerves as i sat on my bed looking out the window at Skip up on that ladder which was resting on the porch roof, as He painted the very peak. It was then that i decided he should not be the only one risking his life for the restoration of this big ole house. So i crawled out the bedroom window to hold the ladder for him. Well, not hold the ladder, but steady it while he was on it. That did`nt work out to good.

You see, i am a little bit afraid of heights. Heights make me dizzy. Heights make me want to grab on to something really tight and hold on for dear life. So i did. Only one problem, everytime i became dizzy, and grabbed tighter onto the ladder, Skip, the big baby , let out a yelp, like he was falling. sheesh. like i`d let him fall.

After some begging on his part, i finally crawled back through the window, which allowed him to finish painting. Guess he can`t hold onto a ladder for dear life and paint at the same time. I did`nt know that.

I went back to bed sitting and watching the ladder. Ready to spring into action should it begin to slip from the roof. I`m a good wife that way.

See this floor? I love this old floor. I am hoping we can reuse these old boards when we redo the under belly of the porch next spring. I want to keep everything i can as original as possible. See that round wooden table? I picked that up at a garage sale a couple years ago, i am going to paint it, as soon as i decide the colors. I think it will look darling. Skip and i play yahtzee on that table in the evenings when the weather has cooled. I`m currantly on a winning streak.

Today i made seat cushions for the wicker love seat and the one chair, not completely satisfied with the fabric, but, for now it will do. I also gave the wicker a coat of white paint. I have been very busy.

Anyway, that is the progress on the house so far........it won`t be finished this summer, i am hoping it will be by the end of next summer.

Till next time.......adios!