Hobby of a Different Kind

Our driveway is now the home of a 1979 GMC Bonanza Truck acquired from the local graveyard of vehicles where parts of yester-year can be found if you drive an older car -- in other words a junk yard.



Not exactly my kind of hobby, but one I find my brother, Robert enjoys tremendously, is that of putting a "classic" together again and bringing it back to life.


After putting $500 on the table and $35 to have a tow truck bring "her" home, he has already given the gifts of a headlight, grill, ignition key starter set, and steering wheel to make the vehicle look much better. His boss has given him a tire for the front and it was put on today after pictures were taken.


Then before dark, he removed the transmission and is taking it to the car wash tomorrow for a cleaning. When a package in the mail arrives the next step of rebuilding the transmission will take place.

He also is doing some extra work on the side to get the money together for a new windshield.

It makes me happy to see the excitement in his face, a sort of grin and contentment growing with each little "fix or repair".

A color change has been determined to be needed by this GMC's new owner and that will begin this week as well. More pictures coming as this hobby project continues.

Frogs and Fish

Our home has a couple new "pets" floating around for us to view and feed.

My husband is busy these days working on his aquarium, soon to be aquariums
(a 135 gallon tank is not filled with water yet).

Also, I decided the kids might like watching some frogs in a mini-tank.
There were two frogs but one only made it past 10 days. We might have
to get another to keep "Mr. Froggie" happy.

Pets are wonderful things!

Embroidered Cloth Doll

I wanted to post an update that shows what I have been stitching on recently -- a victorian style cloth doll pattern.

I have finished one and am almost done with a second beauty. There may be more stitched in different colors for the dress and hair. I am planning on listing some on Etsy.com in my WonderlandShoppe store.

I think little girls and moms alike will enjoy these creations. In making them, I am reminded of simpler days when mothers would be using scraps of things in the home to make a special dolly for their loved ones.

It also makes me think of paper dolls -- something I got from an auction win on shopgoodwill.com. I will have to take some pictures of some of the books for another posting here.

Shhhh... Fairy Sleeping

Shhhh... Fairy Sleeping, originally uploaded by gbrummett.

Shhhh...

Twig the Fairy is asleep...

www.facebook.com/twigthefairy

Another beautiful Fairy Tale photo from the same person in my last blog.

This Twig the Fairy travels to many Renaissance Festivals all over the USA. I love the photos people post of her . . . you can tell she enjoys the fairy life.

One person wrote on flickr.com, "It must be interesting when she takes her checks to the bank as to what kind of a job the tellers think she has."

Zinnia's Magic Fairy Bubble

Zinnia's Magic Fairy Bubble, originally uploaded by gbrummett.

Zinnia the Fairy was experimenting with her magic wand and something went wrong leaving poor Twig the Fairy temporarily trapped in a magic fairy bubble!

I love looking at interesting photos that people submit on flickr.com

This is part of a group called Fairy Tale Photos.

The expressions on their faces are superb. One could almost write a story on this image alone.

Hope all are having a good weekend. We were actually able to sit outside and enjoy our lunch today. This past week has brought rain and cold, but I was able to open the windows again today to air out the house.

My husband is trying a "Joy of Cooking" mop recipe for a beef brisket on the grill. My brother is under the hood of a 1979 truck he purchased from a junk yard -- a parts list is developing, but he has a smile of accomplishment on his face.

I think I will go and sew or look at craft books or . . . the possibilities are all around the house . . . just don't want to do chores today!!!!

Sight Seeing at Ryan Dam

Yesterday in the early evening the family piled into the van and took a drive to Ryan Dam. I had never been before, only my husband and Wynston had.

The views were spectacular.




The smells from a very large lilac bush were divine.



The walking over a swinging bridge was thrilling to most in our party.



This is the sign that greeted us after we got off the bridge and stepped onto the island.

We stopped and read history markers and I took pictures. I actually learned where the name Great Falls, MT came from. The exact site we were visiting.









My husband had hoped to make this his destination to hold Grandma's memorial picnic/cookout at the end of next month, but signs are clearly posted about no grills or fires. I think we might be able to come up with some kind of alternative for a menu there, but we will still keep exploring till the right place is located.


I do think more visits will be made to Ryan Dam Island for some outdoor recreation or to show visitors who may come into town to see us.

I even had the pleasure of seeing some wildlife while there. Can you spot him in the water?

It Is A Beautiful Day

Yesterday I woke up and a feeling of "calm happiness" was covering me. My world has been so shaken with a tremendous loss recently and then other battles have ensued almost immediately thereafter.

I wrote friends asking for prayers to help me in this time. It is something I can hardly remember ever doing, but I would highly recommend.

We don't know what tomorrow will bring, but having support and love from friends and family helps make the road brighter.

My battles are not won right now, but feeling refreshed and uplifted is helping me trudge on with a kick in my step.

Thank you one and all!

Also, a bit of surprise for me -- I sold another quilt on Etsy last night. This one has my favorite colors in it. This quilt pictured is the one sold. It was conjured up from scraps of one I am keeping for myself.

Butterflies

TMH (4129), originally uploaded by T. Michael Hammons.

We are like butterflies who flutter for a day and think it is forever. ~Carl Sagan


Love is like a butterfly: It goes where it pleases and it pleases wherever it goes. ~Author Unknown

Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you. ~Nathaniel Hawthorne

It's NOT my Unbirthday!

30: unbirthday, originally uploaded by xtheowl.

A very merry unbirthday
To me?
To you
A very merry unbirthday
For me?
For you
Now blow the candle out, my dear
And make your wish come true
A very merry unbirthday to you

I like singing this song a lot through out the year. When my kids were small we used to celebrate a few and they would get the biggest kick out of it. (I must remember to do so soon -- but not in the month of May and June as birthdays are aplenty in this family).

My brother, Robert, is now calling me "an old lady" because we are no longer the same age -- 1 month 1 week and 1 day has passed. He could never understand how I was older than him even though his birthday came first on the calendar -- we were little kids back in those thinking days of his.

I am pleased to say that I will be making my own birthday cake -- A Pineapple Upside Down Cake. Been wanting one of those for quite some time now but needed a deep dish iron pan to bake it in. The original one we owned got gone with cleanup from our house fire years ago.

Grandma told me tonight when I was mentioning this cake creation for my birthday that she hoped she gets a piece. She will be the first cut piece for sure.

So everyone out there -- Happy Unbirthday and Happy Birthday -- celebrate just the same!!!!

What the Eye Beholds

TMH (4110), originally uploaded by T. Michael Hammons.

If you look closely enough and have a good imagination, the vine spells "LOVE."