Woah! Step back - the future's so bright for you it's blinding me! You are the coolest of the cool. Everyone looks up to you as the benchmark for being coooool. The fonze was your grandfather. Any cooler and you'd freeze! WOO it's chilly in here.
=http://img42.photobucket.com/...This is the garden at the front of my house. I've spent the afternoon pruning and fussing as we had a cool windy afternoon after a morning of overcast skies and rain. It was a perfect day to garden. Then we fall into evening ..... :?
I went and picked up some plants at the garden centre and loaded my shovels, gloves etc into the truck and off to the cemetery I went. I dragged my yougest boy Casey along with me for company. I finally get to set up a proper garden as my Mom's headstone was put in place a couple of days ago. Now, I was in a fairly open field and she is on a little rise and the breeze was blowing nicely. Perfect evening for gardening ..... NOT!! I tell you my son just gave up and went back to the truck. I had on a track suit that I had the jacket zipped clear up and slightly over my head ... what a site. I was literally spitting the blackflies out of my mouth. I went as fast as I could, with my son cheering me on from the safety of the truck cab. All in all I was about 30 minutes from start to finish which is good considering I laid in some bricks for edging and I started from scratch .... removing grass etc so not too shabby. I'm sure glad it's done ... I'll have to go back out on Thursday to plunk in a Canadian Flag as it will be Canada Day and I can fuss a little more and give it a good watering.
Another job well done I'd say! Whew ... glad to be done too!
Have a great evening everyone and an even better tomorrow!
=http://img42.photobucket.com/... A big thank you to all of you bloggers that voted for me in Featured Blogs. A huge hug goes out to my cheerleaders. These folks urged everyone to vote for me, Greybeard my wonderful brother in law, Magoo the very best big Sis a girl could have, and I can't forget my blogging friends Shark99,Scarlettgkpi and wrenrain Thanks to them I was #1 until late last night ... I guess there must have been a big push with the voters however I still made it to #5. I hope you all continue to visit my blog and enjoy.
Have a great evening everyone and an even better tomorrow! :wink:
Today was such a beautiful day. It was sunny but a little cool and very windy out on the lake. But still and all a glorious day. My hubby and I were invited on a boat cruise aboard the RMS Segwun. =http://img42.photobucket.com/... Our neighbours were celebrating their 55th wedding anniversary. We are lucky enough that they consider us to be like their children and we had a great day with their entire family. A good time was had by all!
When we got home we were treated to dinner of various salads and chicken and a couple of pizzas were thrown in for the grandkids. All was rounded off with a lovely cake. We had the heat on in the pool so we all wandered over (the party had already spilled over to our yard anyway ... that's where the beer fridge is lol)and for those that were brave enough (damn chilly out now)went for a swim.
I have to give it up for Mr. & Mrs. Richardson as they asked all that were attending the party to bring food or treats for the dogs and cats at the local animal shelter because after 55 years they already have everything they need. Isn't that great, and they don't even have any pets of their own.
Have a great evening everyone and an even better tomorrow!
=http://img42.photobucket.com/... Yes it's official, summer is here. Today was my youngest boy Casey's, first day of summer vacation. My oldest boy Cody finished writing exams on Monday so he has been home all week pestering me. I am very grateful that Cody starts work tomorrow as having both of them home today nearly drove me nuts! There is 5 years between them. Cody is 16 (17 in July) and Casey is 11. I tell ya, the neighbours heard me today. I don't know why they bug each other constantly but they do. It's worse when they are in the pool and then I'm like 60 feet away from them yelling and telling them to be quiet .... :roll: It's just stupid!
Tomorrow my hubby and I go on a little boat cruise. Maybe I will have some nice pictures to post to make you all jealous! :wink:
Have a great evening everyone and an even better tomorrow!
P.S. Don't forget to vote for me on Featured Blogs!
The other day on my blog I posted a picture of a paddle that I painted for a friend. It was very small as I had shrunk it in photobucket and couldn't get it back to normal, then I got a new computer and didn't save my pics so yada, yada, yada .... My wonderful brother in law Greybeardfound the pictures that I sent to him when I did the paddle originally and he forwarded them to me. I have to admit that posting that little picture was kinda lame .... :roll:
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Here's a funny co-incidence for you. I have not had the pleasure of sailing on this boat even though it is docked a mere 20 min's from my home. It sails everyday in the summer months and is available for weddings etc... Now this week I post a picture of it and my husband and I have been invited for a cruise this Saturday to celebrate our neighbours anniversary .... small world eh?
Have a great evening everyone and an even better tomorrow!
Many years ago, Daddy's would build their children rocking chairs that were low to the ground and high on the sides. This was so that they could sit by the fire and be snug and cozy in their chairs. I found this design in one of my books and made a pattern. I painted Santa on his own Rockin Rudolph because I thought it was fitting.
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Wouldn't you just love to snuggle up in this rocker on Christmas Eve?
Have a great evening everyone and an even better tomorrow!
Well here goes. I wrote yesterday that I have this studio and that I do folk art painting. I thought that I would share a picture or two of some of the work that I currently have in my Craft Shack. I enjoy it and find it extremely relaxing. I hope you enjoy it too. :wink:
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You can probably tell that I tend to do more Christmas painting than anything else. I love Snowmen and I have been focusing on them for the last couple of years. (how ironic .... I hate winter ...) My favourite piece is the Teddy Bear Christmas Tree. It is entirely made of wood ... the lights look so real you have to reach out and touch them. So far it is a "one of", but I would like to do a couple more as I want to keep this one for myself.
I have a few more pics and will add another each day until I run out or until you beg me to stop! :lol:
Have a great evening everyone and an even better tomorrow!
I decided to start a blog after visiting my big Sis, Magoo in Florida. She was so in to it and was having fun learning html etc. Her hubby, Greybeard, or as I call him now, GreyGoat (if you're a blog follower you'll know why) supported her in her endeavours but was not interested in starting a blog himself .... hahaha we all know how that turned out .... :D
Anyhoo .... Magoo and I thought that I should start a blog when I got home, to promote my business that I am trying to get started. I have a small studio in my back yard and it is full of projects. I have sold quite a few pieces and have even been commissioned to do a couple of things. I decided to name my business, "BLou's Craft Shack" thus the name behind my blog. I have yet to post pictures of anything that I have painted as I felt weird about "tooting my own horn" as they say ... but what the heck, I see folks doing that all the time in their blogs so here I go .... I hope you don't get sick of the "horn" .... =http://img42.photobucket.com/... (picture is so small as I actually put the paddle in my scanner .... you can't see the lighthouse or the rocky shoreline ... but it's there) I have a friend who makes wooden paddles and he wanted to give one as a wedding gift. The couple was getting married on this boat, the Segwin, so he asked me to paint the boat on the paddle for a special memory for them. This piece was very outside the "norm" for me as you will see in tomorrow's post, my style is much more "folkarty" (I know that's not a word..)
This leads me to my original question ...I have been surfing the blog scene and I have come across some really weird titles. On Wrenrain's blog, she asked how you all came up with your names, there was some really interesting comments there. So let me know how you came up with the titles of your blog ...
Have a great evening everyone and an even better tomorrow!
=http://img42.photobucket.com/... Ok, we're still working on the landscaping .... I'm so sick of this job!!! I have to admit though that it's starting to look really good. I have finished all the steps in getting our pool water stabilized so we have the heat on and it is perfect for swimming .... well almost. It has cooled down considerably this evening so it's not likely that we will be swimming tonight. Another hit of bad luck .... when I was setting up the atuomatic vacuum, Frenchie broke one of the levers attached to the filter so we had to turn off the pump .... SHIT!!! I hope that we can get one tomorrow or we may have to go through the water stabilization thing again.... fingers crossed please.
We still have the far side of the pool to do but it is prepped and ready. Hopefully by noon tomorrow we will have all the pea gravel down and it will be looking terrific. (there is a pile of gravel in my driveway like you wouldn't believe.... 9 1/2 tons!) Oh my aching back!!
Have a great evening everyone and an even better tomorrow!
HaHa, you perv's, it's not what you think! I'm dirty alright as I having been digging in it! We have started the landscaping around the pool. It's one of those jobs when all I could think of was "I wish I had kept my big mouth shut and never suggested this"! Too late now. I even went so far as to rent a rototiller to chew up all the grassed areas so the diggin' wouldn't be back breakin' :roll:
I just want to flake out on my chaise and soak in the sun and then when I get too sweaty flop over into the pool! Why do I always start these stupid projects? Geesh!
A year ago our Mother passed away rather unexpectedly. As she had nothing planned ahead of time, I had to scramble to make funeral arrangements etc. Everytime someone suggested something like music or flowers, I would say "oh my, Mom would be beside herself with all this". You see, my Mother hated funerals. She thought that they were morbid and definately not her idea of a good time. She always said "no fuss no muss when I'm gone, just have a little going away party" (My Mom liked to have fun ...) So it came down to picking out a picture to put on her casket. As we were going through all the pictures and sorting out the ones we would use for a "story board" at the funeral home .... I kept hearing "Mom would be beside herself" All of a sudden I looked up at my brother Pat and he picked up Mom's wedding picture and I had the picture that I picked, he grabbed my arm and said come with me. We went to our local photo lab and Pat told him ... "My Mom would be beside herself with all this so lets put her, beside herself" And that's just what we did! =http://img42.photobucket.com/... This is our Mom, Evelyn Louise (Kerrigan) Freeburn. On the left is Mom the day of her wedding and on the right is Mom at my wedding! Pretty cool eh?
Have a great evening everyone and an even better tomorrow!
Well, I couldn't blog last night because of the wild thunder and lightning storm so I actually had time to think about what I wanted to say today.
Do you really think I actually spent my night wondering about this? :lol: How bout NOOOOO!
I did however, spend some time playing with the new programs on my computer. I am having fun taking pictures and then editing them and creating albums. I know small things amuse small minds ..... :roll:
Last week Magoo was talking about a new red hat she bought and it made her think of a blue Easter hat that she purchased on her own. (it was one of those "I just have to have it" hats) I dug up some pictures and sent them to her. She said that she may post them on her blog but to date she hasen't, so guess what .....
I couldn't resist this one Sis. I hope you don't mind me showing this to our blog friends. =http://img42.photobucket.com/... I'm not sure of the date here but I believe it's around 1966. It's our Dad and Mom, Magoo is in blue, our brother Pat, and me, Blou in red. (I have no idea what happened to our brother John ... where was he?) We are outside of our Grandmere's house just before going to church on Easter Sunday. Good Lord I was so cute ..... :wink:
Hope you all enjoy my little blast from the past .... Love ya Sis!
Have a great evening everyone and an even better tomorrow!
Well, it's here but we aren't swimming yet! They finally showed up on Saturday morning around 9:30 to install our new liner. I thought the day would never come. Unfortunately, or should I say typically, we ran into some problems.... =http://img42.photobucket.com/... We couldn't get the District folks who look after the water to come and open up the fire hydrant for us to fill the pool so we have to use our garden hose. They said that they couldn't possibly use the hydrant just in case there was a fire. Let me say that we used this hydrant 14 years ago when we first put the pool in and it hasen't been used since .... but WHATEVER! :roll:
Picture an 18,000 gallon pool and a garden hose ..... get the picture!! The guys instructed us to fill the pool until there was 4-6 inches of water in the shallow end. All the while doing this they had a vacume stuck down between the liner and the wall to suck the liner closer to the walls along with the pressure of the water. So they leave and we are stuck with an empty pool a vacume cleaner and a garden hose ..... what a great porn movie setting! =http://img42.photobucket.com/... (I took this picture of my husband Frenchie, looking the situation over .... notice the cast, that's when our problems with the liner started. ..haha I was sitting/bouncing on the diving board so it is sort of "cockeyed")
Finally at 2:30 this morning ... we reached the satisfactory water level and we could shut off the vacume and the water. Now we play the waiting game ... They had better be here on Monday morning to remove the vacume and then put all the jet covers etc back on.
But what am I getting so excited for ..... we will still be stuck with a pool that is only half full and a garden hose! Fingers crossed we will be swimming by next weekend. With any luck we will have most of our landscaping done by then too ..... :?
Have a great evening everyone and an even better tomorrow!
I can't seem to stop no matter what I do! I felt pretty good earlier this afternoon and so I went outside and did a couple of things. Now I can't breathe through the old snout. :roll:
I think I'll keep things short and sweet (or SNOT and WEAK) here tonight ... Perhaps a hot soak in the tub will help loosen up the clog .... I'm also dangerously close to loosing my voice (can you hear my family cheering in the background) so steaming up a storm could be the ticket.
Have a good evening everyone and an even better tomorrow!
No, it's not the steady "drip" as discussed on your old Cheech and Chong albums .... :roll: It's that constant drip of .....=http://img42.photobucket.com/... My sinuses are like FREAKING OUT!!! I got up yesterday morning and my eyes looked like I spent the evening with a salt lick they were soooo puffy. If you can picture it .... I sit here typing and I have kleenex shoved up both nostrils, not too attractive eh? I have literally been scraping the pollen off of our outdoor furniture and when the wind blows .... forget it .... there is a soccer field behind our property and it is covered with dandelion fluff .... YIKES!
Today for the first time ever, I was actually thankful for the rainstorm and very high winds. I watched from my upstairs window all that fluff in the field fly away and it was like a yellow river of pollen running off our patio.
Unfortunately, I still can barely breath (I suppose the kleenex up the nose doesn't help) and the throat is still a little scratchy but I'm sure that if I get good and medicated this evening I will sweat it out in the sack! That's the reason for the new tunes ..... inspiration is the key!
Have a great evening everyone and (sniff, sniff) an even better tomorrow!
Ok, for those of you who know me you know I am a fan of Martha Stewart. I think she is a smart, confident woman with a great sense of humour. I know, I know ... a lot of folks think she a "bizatch" and she thinks she's too good for her britches ..... :roll: WHATEVER!! My family teases me constantly. At one point my big Sis, Magoo, had my kids calling me Martha! (I thought that was "A Good Thing"!) :P
So here is the big news .... She will not be sentenced on June 17th as originally planned. It seems that it has come to light that one of the witnesses for the prosecution purgered himself and now this dude is going to jail. The prosecution claims that his purgery had nothing to do with the facts of the case ..... ya right! They go back to court July 8th and Martha's team, along with the press, fully expect all charges dropped and case dismissed!
To all my familiy who bugged, teased and harassed me about Martha going to jail ..... all I have to say is, NANER, NANER, NANER :P !!
Have a great evening everyone and an even better tomorrow! :wink:
I spent most of my day with a huge big hole in my wall. A couple weeks ago we bought new terrace doors when they were on sale but didn't get around to putting them in because of my hubbys wrecked up hand. Today my brother Pat decided that it was time ... so out with the old and in with the new. They look great! Now all of our windows and doors match. Do I have to say, this makes "Martha" very happy! :)
Our bug situation is getting pretty bad. Those damn mosquitos started .... I took the initiative and went to Canadian Tire (or as we call here in Canada .....Canuk Bago) and I purchased a Mosquito Magnet. One of those jobies that runs on propane and electricity. This one is supposed to keep an acre of land clear of the pests. I can tell you that the old folks next door are ecstatic! We got it put together right away and I check the trap this morning and there were alot in there ... still alive so I left it alone. I'm hoping that this will give us more time in the evening to enjoy our pool ..... if we ever get our new liner in ..... I think that's another story. :roll:
I have much to do this week as my neighbour assures me that our frost scares are over. I have a ton of annuals to plant and I want to start the landscaping by the pool but ..... well .... you know that story, it's another story!
Have a great evening everyone and an even better tomorrow!
It's been decided that my current music selection is "raveolicious". Therefore, I'm asking all who visit to turn up the volume, step away from the computer and just dance! Picture yourself in your most outrageous hat, shoes, tights, boobs and eyelashes ....... don't forget the nails and lots of frosted lipstick! =http://img42.photobucket.com/... This one's for you Krazed! I fully expect you to rave, even if it's only for as long as the music lasts!
Every once in a while you just have to step out of the norm and be crazy. We all have a little "Superstar" inside us just waiting for you to give it permission to spring!
RAVE ON YA'LL 8)
Have a great evening everyone and an even better tomorrow!
Without a doubt .... our summer season is approaching. We got off to a very slow wet start but it's coming. How do I know this you ask .... (even if you don't ask, I'm telling ya) The blackflies are here. You can sense their presense everywhere. We have here what we call the "Muskoka Wave". That is when the blackflies are so thick that even when walking, your arms are flailing about your head to keep them from biting.
They live on the ground so if you plan on taking advantage of the extra light outside and you're thinking .... hmmm maybe I'll go and plant some flowers as it's such a lovely evening ......STOP! DON'T DO IT! That is why I am blogging so early tonight as I've already tried it and I have big welts behind my ears and the blood was literally running down my neck .... some even got in my shirt ..... It's not pretty. :( My white t-shirt is now red polkadots ....
I laugh because I sit here at my computer and I can see soccer players in the back field ... Oh look, all of their cheerleaders are giving me the "Muskoka Wave" .... suckers!
Have a great evening everyone and an even better tomorrow! :wink:
Well, I spent the afternoon going through old pictures that my Mom had. She had quite a few albums and alot of loose pictures as well. My big sis, Magoo mentioned a picture of her in a hat from an Easter ..... like 100 years ago, on her blog yesterday, and that got me started. It's a picture of our family on my Grandmothers porch just before we left for church. We are all decked out in our Easter bonnets. Hopefully I can get it scanned and maybe she will put it on her blog .... if not maybe I will. It will be good for a laugh regardless who shows it off! :lol: Stay tuned!
It was rather bittersweet for me. I got a little choked up a few times when I linked pictures of my Mom with the memories I hold of her. I still miss her everyday. On the lighter side ... I cracked up looking at what dorks we were and found myself lingering on those memories as well. We really did have fun when we were kids. We had to make our own fun as there were no computers or video games .... unless you count "Pong". Geesh ... I'm dating myself :roll:
Unfortunately that walk down memory lane wasn't much of a work out so I best get off my duff and do some spinning before bed!
Have a great evening everyone and an even better tomorrow!
Thanks to my niece, Jena for making me this doll! She's perfect! (remarkably just like me!)
DOMESTIC GODDESS ON DUTY!!
BIG HUGS TO KRAZEDONE FOR CAPTURING THE REAL ME!!
CAN'T CATCH ME I'M THE GINGERBREAD WOMAN!!
Me drinking tea while my big Sis, Magoo contemplates chocolate cake!!!
FOR YOU SIS, THIS IS NELLIE THE ELLIE
Couldn't resist this. My "Redneck" nephew sent me this one!
My big Sis, MAGOO and her hubby GREYBEARD (aren't they adorable!)
FOR MY FAMILY IN THE USA!