The Kitchen

My kitchen!

Here is a possible eating area. Perhaps I will find a small table this year at sales that will work better. As you can see, Corynn is eating in a hole. And besides that, there is only ONE seat offered now. It has to be pretty small though, otherwise it swallows up the whole kitchen. 

My favorite part of the kitchen-my writing desk!  

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Deal(s) of the Week

Here is my first DEAL OF THE WEEK post. While I intended to post only one, I HAD to post two this week because I got some FABULOUS deals! (Not just these two, either!)


Four 12 packs of soda for...get this....FREE!!! We don't typically buy cans of soda but couldn't pass THIS one up! Wegmans had a deal for four Coke Fridge packs for $10.00 with a $10.00 REBATE! So, these were absolutely, positively FREE. WooHOO!

Four boxes of Cheerios for $2.00. The store deal was 2 for $4.00 but I had a coupon for $6.00 off any FOUR boxes of Cheerios-so for four boxes of cereal before the coupon it was $8.00 but AFTER the coupon, it was $2.00. Not FREE but still CHEAP! 

Today we go INSIDE! The Foyer

Sorry this shot is fuzzy-I was lazy and didn't want to retake it and then upload another one. Come on in! The handmade door leads to our live-in basement (by live-in I mean LIVE IN, since it is the only some-what cool place in the whole house!) The stairs going up lead to the rest of the house-straight ahead is the kitchen, the left is the living room, and the hall to the right leads to the bedrooms. Tomorrow we will head into the kitchen...

The Foyer-minus Bueford the Butler. He was on lunchbreak.  

On a side note: we were the happy recipients of a care package yesterday. THANK YOU Mom and Dad! Corynn sporting some of her surprises-she was positively entranced by her 'friendly ladybug'. She adores it. You made our DAY! 

Fluffernutter

There is nothing like homemade jam, fresh peas, whoopie pies, animal antics, and plants! That is what our Saturday consisted of.

Gary and Linda (my in-laws) came to visit us this weekend and brought with them a truckload of treasure. Lumber from their sawmill, a pull-out couch, and an heirloom nightstand/dresser. Much of the lumber has already been used as Matt and Gary built Dutchie a doghouse on Saturday. The rest will go towards making a swing set for the ever patient Corynn (and the ever uninterested Panda).

I am hoping to make a cover or FIND a cover for the pull-out couch. As wonderful as it is to have a fold-up bed-the appearance leaves much to be desired. Hopefully, in time, I can dress it up. Cover that hideous pea green with a floral print-add a few throw pillows and we will be golden! :-) Unless I find something at a sale, I might HAVE to make it because you KNOW I am NOT spending the full price on a sofa cover. Have you ever priced those things?!?! OUTRAGEOUS!

While the men were slaving away for pooch, Linda and I (with chillin’s in tow) hit the road! We went to a local antique store (I will be going back for some vintage hankies and perhaps a hat-they were so CLASSY!) I saw some cobalt blue jars (Old Milk of Magnesia jars) at the store for $9.00 a piece. I thought that was funny because I bought four jars at a garage sale for $3.00 for ALL. Neato. I love looking them on my windowsill and can’t wait to fill them with bright yellow sunflowers!

We also stopped at an Amish roadside stand where we picked up some peas and some whoopie pies and asked for directions to the local Amish greenhouse, our next destination. It was a WONDERFUL place with lush plants (surprising knowing that it is the end of the greenhouse season, really!) and animals EVERYWHERE. We saw deer (they raised them), horses, chickens, goats and bunnies. What we DIDN’T see were cows or pigs. Perhaps they were in the barn. I counted seven children-all barefoot. That is not to say there weren’t more. Some were playing in the sandbox, some were feeding the animals, and others were working the greenhouse. I saw the Mammi and Dawdi head to their dawdihaus next door. I saw their BEAUTIFUL, IMMACULATE, and HUGE garden lined with petunias and marigolds. And as we left, they were hooking up the horse to go spread manure. Oh, how I wish I could have taken pictures but it wouldn’t have been respectful (and very insensitive) to their beliefs. It really is a shame though. I would love to photograph the quaintness, the serenity, and the peace of the Amish. I imagine it must be tiring for them though, everyone wanting to photograph them as if they were a sideshow.

This past week I finished making nine jars of strawberry freezer jam. Since our freezer is TINY and I need to use the room wisely, all other jams and jellies will have to be canned. Hopefully, part of our tax money in the spring will go to a big ole freezer!!!

This week I hope to finish organizing my craft room. It has been in disarray for far too long. Sunday evening I wanted to put my feet up and embroider but decided against it because by the time I would FIND all the supplies and get started, the night would be over. Soon. Very soon I will have no distractions. (Well, if you don’t count a whimpering babe and an overactive two-going-on-twelve year old.)

I am getting some SUPER-DEE-DUPER deals at the grocery store this week, which gave me the silly notion to feature a “deal of the week” on my blog. Every week I will post my best ‘deal’. I know-kind of silly. But hey-that’s me!

The sky is about to open up and I love a good ‘summer’ storm. Hurrah for buckets of rain saving me from hauling buckets of water. A thirsty garden no more!

This week I will start the virtual tour of our house that I have been promising for so long... We will do one room (or area) every day which will mean that by the end of the week (or close) we will be done. Hope you enjoy the tour but for a REAL one, you will have to visit! So-for today, we look at the OUTSIDE!

The right side of the house (a seperate apartment) is not livable. There was a fire in it. That side will get fixed up eventually. We live in the lefthand side.

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To the left is Dutchie's new coop and to the right, nestled behind the shrubs is bunny FooFoo's hut. This is a nice and shady area-perfect for the animals during the summer. 

Northern Catalpa Tree 

A castle for the Dutchess 

Our outdoor living room and dining room... 

An everyday sight-laundry on the line and a garden growing as we speak! hehehe 

Promises... 

Oh yeah~and guess what little Panda has been doing consistently for the past few weeks?!? Yep-I think we have a thumb sucker on our hands. So cute. (as a baby that is!) 

The Dutchess of Tyrone.  

Look at that sweet face!!! 

Matt is a comfy place to relax-for ALL his girls. 

She makes it look EASY! 

So small she needs some help... 

Every day Corynn gets a little bit closer for a little bit longer. She is still pretty nervous around her and the dog isn't making things easier. Look closely and you will see the puppy biting her pantleg!