Feeling a bit crafty!

It's the first day of Fall and what better way to welcome the new season than making something that will surely come in handy! With the dip in the temperatures, soup and stew season has arrived and I've been wanting to make these little bowl 'pot holders' since I saw them last month. 😀

I'll walk you thru the steps and it'll take you about 20 minutes, if that. Let's get started!

You'll need:
two 10"x10" 100% cotton fabrics
two 10"x10" 100% cotton batting
100% cotton thread

Place batting on the wrong side of each 10"x10"square and mark with an X as shown and stitch:

Fold each piece in half, pin, and on the fold make two darts ... 1" wide 2 1/2" long:

Stitch darts and trim as shown:

Refold the other side and do the same:

Now you have two finished pieces, one for the front & one for the back:

Pin fabric sides together, matching seams and adjusting as needed. Stitch approx. 1/4" seams all around the edge, leaving about 2" to allow for turning:

Clip seams and corners to alleviate the bulkiness & turn.

Pin opening and topstitch approximately a 1/4" along the outer edge, closing up the opening you used for turning.

There you have it! My soup bowl is 6" across and it fits perfectly! It protects your hands from the hotness of the bowl while carrying, PLUS because you used 100% cotton in your supplies, it can go in the microwave to warm your food and just lift with the little 'wings' to take it out!

ENJOY!!

Godspeed

The Maiden Voyage!

We hit the road with Miss Elouise on April 2nd, the beginning of Spring Break. We ventured north to Astoria then onto our destination for the week, Cape Disappointment on the Pacific Coast. It was a bit chilly, the weather was unpredictable, but it is the Pacific NW after all and just somethings we've come to expect!

Of course we had to stop and grab a bite at our favorite seafood spot on the way thru! YUM!!

This was Pepper's first visit to the coast and decided her dip in the ocean wasn't exactly the warmest, but that didn't stop her from venturing into it a few times. And from the looks of that photo, she loves Miss Elouise as much as we do!

Nicole came up to visit on our second day. We just spent the day relaxing on the beach, sitting by the campfire, and playing board games after dark. Lucy and Pepper had a blast running along the shoreline and investigating everything they could find! What is it with dogs and smelly things?! YUCK!!

Of course all good things must end, we have to venture back home, and by the looks of things, Pepper had a great time! She slept the whole way home!

Our Maiden Voyage with Miss Elouise was a success and we intend to spend many outings in her and see what the outdoors in the Pacific NW has to offer! Until next time .....

Godspeed 

Not so March Madness ....

It was actually kind of nice not having a month jammed packed with projects, the snow was gone, and it was time to take a breather. The granddaughters' winter sports were in full swing and we went whenever time allowed, which thankfully was the majority! We celebrated another family birthday, enjoyed RJ's play performance, and contemplated our spring/summer/fall campouts.

That leads me to this ......
Unfortunately, we had to make a slight change .... Realizing our Cozy Cottage was a bit too cozy, we were on the hunt for something a wee bit larger. It was a bitter sweet day when we took her out of storage for the last time and off to the dealership. Lots of memories, even in that very short time we had her .... Rock Creek, Cresap Bay, The Arboretum, Nisqually River, and Cape Disappointment.

So now, I'd like to introduce you to Miss Elouise! 

We welcomed her into the family March 17th! It was not intended, but this pair was made for each other and not only do we love it, the looks from others, and "thumbs up" on the road are aplenty! 

Our first trip out was a couple weeks away, and the anticipation was crazy!! I'll share her maiden voyage in my next post! 

Until then, Godspeed

February in Photos!

With Spring just around the corner you never know what Mother Nature will bring our way in the PNW. From warm rains to freezing temps and snow, its a mixed bag and one we've come to expect!

In 2018, it was warm the first part of the month, giving us just enough to get outside and plant some pretties to highlight the daffodils that wanted out of the ground ....

February 6th:

February 20th:

Just when things get all settled in, here comes snow putting a chill on my pretties! :(  It was a pretty sight and love that snow falling around Maggie's face. :)

February 24th:
As luck would have it, the dryer decides to act up and no longer dries the laundry ... so, since we wanted to redo the floor in there anyways, back to tearing things up!

And here is Inspector Pepper making sure things line up properly!

While we're at it and making a mess, we might as well put new flooring in the hallway as well! Naw, we don't do things half-ass, we go ALL IN! So new flooring, fresh coat of paint, a functional over-head cabinet, a new washer/dryer pair later, and a touch of artwork, and it looks FANTASTIC!!

Hope you've enjoyed today's entry!

Godspeed

Significant Birthday & Mid-Life Crisis!

February 3rd: Although Butch's birthday was end of January, sometimes things get pushed back a bit. We were planning on meeting up with the kids for his birthday dinner at Warehouse 23 in Vancouver. I'm not sure why we were out and about earlier that day, but decided to check out a dealership because although our Yukon was a good vehicle, we knew that with over 219,000 miles on it, she wasn't going to be pulling our camper around much longer.

Butch knew what he was looking for - USED in great condition with low mileage - BUT!!!! Yep, we drove this beauty off the lot about an hour after we first set eyes on her!

Meet Big Red:

She came with just under 200 miles on her, and that new leather smell was HEAVEN!! THIS is the "Mid-Life Crisis" that we both got to experience! We've never owned a brand new vehicle in our 40 years of marriage and its was definitely time! We broke the news to the kids that night at dinner and let's just say, they were more than excited for us!

 Yep, the Big Guy turned 60 years old this year! 

The waitress had fun kidding with him ... note the sign she made for our table! LOL!

If you get the chance, Warehouse 23 has great food, love the atmosphere, and its very family friendly!

Until next time, Godspeed

My apologies .....

I'm not intentionally ignoring my blog, but life has been a three ring circus! Between the grandkids' sports, tournaments, work, remodeling, camping, crafting, and everything else we've done since January, you get the picture!

Sports are an on-going affair around here .... middle school, community ed, tournaments, and driving to all corners of the county and back again! Both grandkids are heavily involved in their sports and we love traveling to see them play. :)

Now, lets get caught up! I'm going to try to sum things up rather quickly, if possible .....

January: We took a trip to IKEA to look for a dining room set and came out of there with a new sink and vanity for our bathroom! HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN?? In the process of tearing out the old sink, we discovered that the original vinyl didn't go under that area! So ..... we tore out the floor, which in turn we decided "since we're replacing the flooring now, might as well replace the toilet too!" And of course you have to paint! AND redo the molding! AND the lighting! AND the mirrors! AND towel bars, toilet paper holder, am I leaving anything out?!? I will say thought, I love the way it came out ....

 Almost finished laying the flooring ....

 Coming along rather nicely ... and what a find in the shower curtain.

That "woodsy" look ties everything together beautifully! 

 And now we have a new look to our hallway bathroom!

 And my favorite part about this whole remodel, are these lights! 

Don't they look FABULOUS?!

After a weekend of work, the total cost came in just over 1K! 

I love saving money!!

I promise to be back soon with February! 

Godspeed