Friday,Things that have been in the works

     Here is a picture of the fireplace down stairs in the family room. It was a golden yellow and quite ugly.  But was fine for the time when burgundies golds and green were all the rage.  I would have left it but because we are selling the house it had to go.  So I started with a the Cottage white which we are painting the whole room, then added the castle grey for the brick part.  Then decided to paint the top grey also to break up all the white.  The gold screen was in good condition so I had little sis come over and spray the screen with black stove paint.  It took awhile to tape and cover all the glass and the
background.











     This is how it turned out and I really like it.  I have not started decorating but have moved things to the places I will put them later.  That little rocking chair was a gift from my mom when I was a year old.  I crocheted the rug from bread bags.  I am a saver like that.  The nativity and wreath were also from mom's stash.  I really can't remember buying many decorations over the years.  Mom always gave me things she was tired of.

 We are having new grey/light tan carpet laid on the nineteenth of December. I can hardly wait.  The kids are finishing up the painting in the hall and the laundry room.  One section of the house will be done.  Yippee!  It looks so clean and nice.


     I have also been stressing on a project for one of our daughters teachers.  All three girls had her in High School.  She was married to the WSU football coach and he played pro ball for years before he became a coach.  He passed away from cancer 2 years ago and had a 4 page write up in the local paper.  Quite the celebrity. Any way she is officiating at their youngest sons wedding and she wanted a Boho duster made out of his shirts.  Quite the project.  I have spent hours thinking and rethinking this design, which is hard as you have very little material to work with as far as yardage is concerned.  So here is a lay out of the front.

I will add laces and crocheted motifs with buttons and make it really artsy.  She loves it   I will get a final picture when it is done. So this is what I was working on yesterday and worrying about.  I just needed to start.  I prayed the whole 5 hours I was working on it and it was a hit.  So grateful.  I still have a load of work to do on it, but I am in the down ward side of things.

     On top of that I have had so many bags and containers of berries in the upstairs freezer, taking up room.  I have wanted to make jam for Christmas gifts.  This has been a frustration, as it is hard to use the upstairs freezer.  I finally got fed up and pulled 12 containers and large bags out of the freezer.  I did this as I was making the meatballs Wednesday.  I had a gallon of huckleberries, a gallon of blueberries, and 1.5 gallons or red raspberries.  I mashed all the fruit in a large bowl and then put each kind of berry in a bowl and put them on the back deck where it is cold. Then when I was cleaning up the kitchen from the 12 dozen meat balls and two pumpkin pie fiasco, ( I can mess up a kitchen like no bodies business).  I pulled every jam jar out of the closet on the back porch and put them in the dishwasher to sterilize.

     So yesterday after sewing all day, I was able to go upstairs at about 4:30 and by 6:30 had 4 batches of jam made.    One batch of Huckleberry which is like gold around here,one batch of blueberry, one batch of triple berry, and one batch of red raspberry. It does not take long if every thing is ready and you assembly line the mess.  Hubs is upstairs processing right now.  I can hear the seals going pop, pop, pop.  I love that sound.

I did 34 assorted sizes.  These will be Christmas gifts.  Home made jam is just so much better than the corn syrup dyed crap they sell in the stores.

The pressure canner is full and we just bring it up to pressure.I think Hubs had to do three canners full. But it is almost done.

I have to be at the high school today to lay the floor as the studio owner just had major surgery.  I also ripped the Navy dress uniform and have to finish that today.  Then just keep up with the kids who are here painting.  It will be a long day. But not as long as yesterday.


     I think after this week end my stress level will go down.  But the shop is very behind and I will have to concentrate on that for a few days.

What are you guys going to do this weekend? Any plans? Are you decorating, cooking, come on make me jealous

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim