Yard Fun

While we were at Hartselle Depot Days, we stopped by our friend's booth who makes the metal work and of course they had something that I wanted for the yard.  A fun dragon fly where you can put a wine bottle for the body.  You can make him what ever color you want by just changing out the bottle.  Then, I thought I needed another outdoor kitty.  I just don't have to feed this one.  It stands on a flower pot.  Every time I look outside, for a split second, I think there is a real cat on the fireplace pipe that I use for flowers.   Decorating the yard is as much fun as decorating the house. 

Hartselle Depot Days



Chuck and Andrea



Fun for all the kids





Great steak sandwiches for lunch!





Remember these?





what memories.....drive in movies



Bonnie and Clyde



and their guns

This was my second time at Hartselle Depot Days...Chuck's first.  I think he went to work in the forest last year so I went with Andrea.  Well, this year we both went with Andrea.  As far as craft shows go, it's so-so.  There are a few good booths, like our friend's Dave and Melanie who do the iron work. Bought a couple of neat things from them.   Of course there is the old tractor show and old car show. A fun part of the day is looking in all the antique stores on the main road in town.  I'll tell ya all about what we found in one of them soon.  It made my day!!  Of course the steak sandwiches we had for lunch were pretty good too!  I'm sure we will attend Depot Days again next year.  It's one that I put on the calendar as soon as the " Alabama Event Book" comes out at the beginning of the year. 

Mansion Window Boxes

On one of our trips to Roden's and everything in the store was 50% off, I found some cute white window boxes for the girl's mansion.  I decided that I would have to fill them with tacky fake flowers though because the girls would just eat anything that I planted in them.   On our last visit with Lady Melanie, she gave me some tacky flowers for the boxes.  I used some little window box liners that I had and they aren't big enough to fill the boxes.  That will be another thing that we will look for at Big Lots.  ( cheaper there)  Then, I can fill the whole box with tacky flowers.  The first reaction to the girls when I put them in the boxes was, they just just stood there for a few minutes looking at the boxes with turning their heads side to side.  You could just see them thinking " ummmm is that something good to eat?"  I told them to NOT!! roost on the window box and so far, they have listened to me.  They act like it's not even there.  I guess they like their new decoration. 

My New Work Area



My back corner




I even have my " big girl chair" from 60 years ago to sit at my work bench.  Yes, I'm still painting everything blue!  I got a whole new gallon of blue paint.  I guess you would say blue is Brambly Pines signature color. 

 

Work bench that Chuck made me :-)



My Band Saw that I haven't seen in years!!!!



Brand new screw drivers!



Some more of MY tools!

Ever since the barn was built, I had in my dreams of having a work bench of my own in the back corner.  When we first moved up here, Chuck cleared a little area in that corner and I set up my sewing room there since there was no room for me to sew in the TT.  The only thing was...it was freezing in the winter and really hot in the summer, but hey, I had a space to sew!  Since we moved into the house, that corner has been used to store a couch, a TV, boxes and what ever else.  As we started cleaning out the barn, my dream was coming true.  Last week, Chuck went to town and bought a bunch of wood and some dry wall for several projects.  One, was my work bench.  He built it one morning and dug out my band saw. I hadn't seen it in three years.  I didn't even know where it was.  Now I have to get used to using it again.  I'm hoping to make gingerbread work for the front porch of the house.  It might take me awhile because I think I need to make something like 20 pieces of it.  Maybe I'll have them all done in the next couple of years. When we were in town last week, I got to pick out my very own tools at Lowes for over my work bench.  Now I don't have to go digging in Chuck's things to look for a hammer, screw driver or clamp.  I think I'm going to have some fun days down in the barn!

Burn Pile



About half of the boxes that got burned. 

 

Look!!!! You can see all the way through the barn!!! Once the dry wall is up in Chuck's office, all those boxes will be gone.  They are full of books and things that Chuck wants in the office.



We have been working in the barn a lot lately.  It has taken us three years, but we just about have it cleaned out.  At least you can walk from one big door to the other without walking around any thing.  Well, except for the chairs that I'm painting.  We had a stack of boxes that took up a huge area but they are gone now, after I decided on what ones to keep for mailing and what ones that Chuck should burn.  I actually have my skating rink back again but the sad part is, I have decided to give up my skates to Shell and Genavive when they come up.  Yes, I'm to old to be roller skating. Can you believe that I'm saying this?????   Not that I think I would "fall" but it could happen and I don't need any broken bones at my age.  I have learned to be sensible in my older age if nothing else. 

So, Chuck and I are enjoying the barn being cleaned out with each of us having work areas.  It's been fun, spending the day in the barn together, working on our projects. 

Lucky Little Girls



So cute shutters!!!



The front of the pretty play house



Lady Melanie showing Chuck around the play house





Lucky Lillie



Lucky Lulu!

After our trip to "M's" for fabric, we were invited to have lunch with two very lucky little girls!  They just happen to be Lady Melanie's grand daughters.  Melanie had been working all summer on turning a little room in her basement into the most fun play house for the girls.  A little girl's dream come true.  I know, because my Dad built me a play house when I was little.  It matched our house...right down to the stucco and the color of the paint.  Melanie has filled this play house with such fun things for the girls.  Even the outside has a covered porch with a pretty pink door and really cute shutters on the windows. What memories Miss Lillie and Miss Lulu will have to tell about their "Marmie" making them a play house and the hours they played in it. I'm so glad we got to enjoy a couple of hours of having lunch and watching the girls play.  Every little girl should have a play house.    

Birmingham's M's



So much to choose from





Fabric for the living room curtains and valances



Fabric to have the wing back chair recovered in.

I had an Eye Dr. appointment in Birmingham last Monday so we went down to "spend the day".  First we stopped at "M's" fabric store so I could look for fabric for making living room curtians and valances.  Of course what I had in mind, tone on tone stripes,  wasn't what I found, but it ended up turning out great any ways.  Every thing in the whole store was 50% off!!!  (smiling)  I needed 18 yards of one fabric for the curtains.  Not only was it hard to find the right color, yes I took the paint sample of the paint our walls are painted, but to find that many yards on one bolt.  I came across the perfect tan plaid and there was 33 yards on the bolt.  I thought I had better look for the fabric for the wing back chair to be recovered since I had the curtain fabric right there.  I found a great black/tan stripe that looked really pretty against the plaid.  Plus, it will tie in the funky zebra chair that we have in the living room.  Soooooo, I got seven yards of that too.  When we first moved into the house ( two years ago Sept 17) I thought I didn't want any curtains up at the windows.  I have found that the rooms that I did make curtains for, I like those the best.  I was afraid curtains would cover up all our views of the woods, but the way I'm making them , they are on the outside of the window frames.  Curtains sure do change the look of a room, that is for sure.  Next room to be done, will be Chuck's.  I haven't gotten a vision on what I want in there yet.  I have to tackle the living room first.  It might take me a little while.  We have four windows in there but I love every one of them for the light and the views.