Just a start.

I mentioned that this little change would prompt more changes as we get ready for the next step. Many of you have written, asking about more flowers and a garden that would really make the house beautiful. We plan a fence with flowers, and an arbor. This will probably have to wait for next year. I wanted to show you what the final... first step looked like. Hope you enjoy the change, we sure do.

Carol

A gallon of paint and patients.

I am always asked if I love to paint. My answer is... I love the end product, not the process. Picking the colors is probably the most fun. I think it goes back to my artist background. Once painted the product is either what I expected or not. And yet I love the ending regardless of the final effect.

This is my living room. You can see the lack of color made the room very cool and unwelcoming. This was the only thing that had to change fast. So in January the painting took place. Hope you can appreciate the change like I did.

I plan to paint the remainder walls a dark taupe when all my colors are other rooms are finished. I decided to wait because of the creative construction of this house. More photos to come.

What a gallon of paint won't do.

Carol

Let's move on.

That's what we did. I truly didn't understand what it meant and it was obvious that I didn't know anything when I left the farm. As far as I could see on the farm it was ours. In town it was a totally different subject. I could have never known what I was going to experience. I was ready.

My two brothers were in charge of me when we got to town. Waite Park at the time was very small, and from my Aunt Marie's to our new house, was only three blocks away. My brothers were riding two wheeler bikes and me, well, lets say it was a very small three wheeler. I was so proud of it.

On the way over, they just happened to lose me. Getting me to our new home wasn't a very important mission in their minds. The story goes that the police brought me home. What a great place, people who can give you a ride home, especially when I didn't know where I lived. We didn't have these guys on the farm. I'm sure I talked all the way home, how I got there is really a mystery because I hadn't been there before.

The home was only a basement home, that meant the top floor was not built yet. You don't see them these days. Anyway, this is what the house looked like after my parents built the top floor. It was wonderful and full of love.

God Bless those who travel through my little blog.

Carol

It's time to go home.

John and I were ready to go home. We drug our suitcases to the car, kissed our loved ones goodbye and home we went. Memories to store and revisit along the way.

Every stop during the three weeks made us that more appreciative of our family and friends. But knowing it was time made our hearts jump. The ride home was wonderful. Talking about the arrival and all we had to do. Sleep in our own bed, walk around in our underwear, and fall asleep whenever we wanted.


We were excited to drive into our driveway, everything at our home was as we left it. John and I thanked God for our safe passage.



Carol

A Pickle for your thoughts...

I bet that peaked your interest? What makes this interesting is that we knew when we moved east that things would be different. Temperatures, seasons, people, but what we failed to imagine was that pickles would be one of them.

I came from a farming family and we canned and ate everything we produced. Pickles and jelly were on the table for every meal. We fell in love with homemade dill pickles and could eat as many as we wanted. Well, you know what I mean.

When we started to buy pickles the favorite of my Mom and Dad was Gedney dill pickles. As I purchased my own pickles they became Gedney Baby Dill Pickles. Not kosher, quartered, or big would due.

The first time we went to replenish our supply we were shocked. There in the grocery isle was a small almost unwanted section for pickles. Kosher dill, and sweet pickles graced the selves. We did our best at trying to find our favorite but there was none.

So, here it is, the two quart, six pack we brought with us from Minnesota. Unlike other things pickles are my comfort food from home. And replacing it with less will not work.

Just my thoughts on this Sunday afternoon.

Raise a Glass of Wine

Or whatever you like to drink. Here is my story. Five years ago when we built I decided I could do all the staining the shakes and painting the trim. I know what you are thinking, what was I thinking? I tell my friends and family that I surely was suffering from PMS. Otherwise common sense would have told me that the size of the house and each shake being it own little piece of the whole picture was hard work.

I told John, you know that cute guy that married me. I can do it. So here I am after five years done. Now don't get me wrong I am not wining, just sitting back and laughing at myself.

I actually had 99% of it done at the beginning of last year, however the window that was still not done needed an extension ladder, we made a promise to each other never to climb without one of us being present. That was the problem, we are never together on good days.

Yesterday was a big day and I decided to take of picture for you. Funny thing is you can hardly see the house but that's what summer's like here on Balsam Ponds.

Have a great Monday and be safe out there.