Not too far from here is a marvelous place chock full of junk trash treasures waiting to be discovered. I LOVE going to the Flea Market! Funny thing is, I haven't been there in a really long time (time being the very reason of my absence). When DD and I decided to go, I could hardly wait. I'll admit it was awfully hot, but I wouldn't have missed that for anything. We had a fine time poking through all of things for sale; some of which were quite interesting (and some, utterly bizarre ;o) Like this chair that looks like something from a Hollyweird movie set from 1929. Who needs a Barcalounger when you can park this heinous monstrosity in front of your flat screen? Although I'm sure it's a definite conversation piece, I can't quite fathom the context of that particular conversation (though I can hazard a guess at the general direction of it *giggle*).

What really blew my mind, was the astronomical price tag hanging from the top. Of course now I'll have to go back, if for no other reason than to find out if someone is ridiculous enough to actually cough up 700 Simoleans for it. Can you imagine? Not even if you moved that decimal point three places to the left, buddy. Although, if that's an offer of payment to take it off your hands...

Well, this is as far as I got for this week's post. Not doing too well, am I? We've had quite a bit going on; the details of which I hope to be able to share with you next week. One thing I DID take the time to do for you was to make a ('nother-other ;o) slideshow. I went to a privately owned zoo (McClellands) with my friend Carolyn and her two girls (who I'll call big J and little j for privacy purposes). I mentioned my friend Carolyn a long time ago (this post), when Lori and I had a decorative field day in her guest bedroom. She had made the monumental decision to become a foster parent and had asked us to help her set it up for children. Embarrassingly, I realized just this morning that I spelled her name wrong in the old post. I couldn't remember if she was an "i" or a "y", so I guessed; quite wrongly it seems. Profound apologies, Carolyn! :o/ She's cared for numerous children since that time and endured all manner of criticism for opening her heart and home as a foster parent. As for me? Well, I happen to think it's the most awesomest thing ever :o) I've been blessed to watch her grow even stronger in her faith through it all. Carolyn made the decision to officially adopt the two little girls (you'll see them in the slideshow) awhile back; they had long been the daughters of her heart. I've been equally blessed to watch those two little girls bloom and grow under her loving care. I put descriptions (found top center) on most the slides, though I didn't know what every single animal was. Feel free to enlighten me, if you know for sure ;o) Click on the Reindeer eye in the top left to open it in Lightbox (I hope - had some trouble with this). Email friends can click here. Enjoy!

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Have a blessed week everyone - Hugs!

You know, I make jokes all the time about being chief operating officer of the duct tape and band-aid brigade, but honestly? It's not really all that far from the truth. Sometimes I think nothing around here works when I/we need it. Do you ever have that problem? We seem to be having non-technical difficulties inside and out this week. Why is it (as long as I'm on a min-rant here *laugh*) that I struggled to get my computer and phone to sync, which was supposed to be easy-peasy but developed digital hiccups, yet our refrigerator and oven are deteriorating in perfect synchronicity? The oven has either a malfunctioning keypad or "box". Naturally, both items are heinously expensive to replace, and (of course) there's no way to know for sure which one needs to be replaced (replacing both would be more than half the cost of a new oven). As a result, we're learning to do the "new math". Baking at 400 is done at 399 (the zero doesn't work) and setting the timer for 40 minutes equates 39:59 (because the 1, 4, and 7 don't work either). Pretty annoying, but until I win the lottery (and HaHaHa) I can afford to be annoyed more than I can afford a new oven. The refrigerator has decided it would rather be a freezer, and for some reason it has started freezing anything we put on the bottom shelf. [Photo inset: my duct tape stash - DH calls it 100mph tape}

Surprisingly, DH, his work schedule and the weather all cooperated (a rare happenstance, that ;o) and I was SO thankful considering the twelve foot weeds in the pasture. Too bad the sprayer had a flat tire; one which had no desire to air back up. The tire was unwilling to be removed, a small war ensued, and many bad words were snarled. (Jen bailed in the heat of the battle ;o) Didn't I say I was waiting for the other shoe to drop? Kerplunk. Of course by the time the tire was repaired it was too doggone dark out to spray. Why was I even surprised? The chainsaw has also crumped, which makes perfect sense since DH and I found another tree down in the far back corner of the pasture. It is on the fence (where else?) and though it didn't break - whew! - it did compress it, so we need to get it off before you-know-who finds it and decides to see if Mr. T. still has a vegetable patch in his yard (I am, of course, referring to Mad Max, who else?) While we do have a second fence beyond that one, you can't be too careful when dealing with a hoovenile delinquent, and I'd rather be sane than sorry (and no, that wasn't a typo *grin*) [Photo inset: messy, but you can see how the fence is compressed and just see the trunk in the top left corner of the photo]

One of the things that did go well this week was I got to shoot a bird (bwahahaha ;o) No, no, no, not that kind silly! Anni, if you're 'listening' - I got him I got him I got him! The Cardinal. The one I've been stalking for months. I swear, any time I stepped outside, sans camera, he was right there. If I had the camera with me, he was gone in a flash (HA that was a good one ;o) He'd stop just out of sight and start singing. Mocking me. I know that's exactly what he was doing; the little cretin. I'm pretty sure I've taken about a hundred lousy photos of him, although I think I did get one other shot that wasn't too awful awhile back. Actually, I suppose we had considerably more than just one thing. This is as far as I got with my post this week. Why? Because DD and her entourage have been here for most of it, and she's been helping me with the patio project (excuse me for swearing).
Between DD, Kimby and our pint-sized volunteers (this post), we've gotten quite a bit accomplished in the past two weeks *WOOT* Here is a photo update of our progress (along with a couple of other random and irrelevant shots because, well.... because ;o)

Random like this tiny Carolina Wren who finally paused long enough for me to grab a hasty shot with the camera. They're almost never still, but they are SO cute!

Okay, okay, back on task here. DD helped me lug the half barrel planter around to the patio and I planted some Zinnias in it. Maybe next year I can put a knockout rose in there (that's what I wanted to start with, but the checkbook said NO *laugh*). Have to say I do love the mixed colors and blooms though. Aren't they pretty?

I finally hung the welcome sign my Mom bought me forever and a day ago next to a hanging basket with some Summer Purslane. I'll take an updated photo once it grows a bit more - it's very pretty too. Should I add that people will be coming from the other direction, so that's why it's backwards?

The entourage supervised from their favorite place on the planet: the big drum. I think they like feeling "tall". Faith seems to be saying, "What? We're sunning." (the lawn mower has also been acting up; can you tell? The dogs almost completely disappear in the grass - we can only see their tails ;o)

We got the outhouse sign hung (remember my Picture Happy Potty Post? Click here if you missed it) and the hose minder up. Now I just have to finish painting the sink so DH can hook it up and we can have water! *WOOT* Not the best shot, but you get the idea...

I tried to capture a bird perched high up in the tree top, but he took off. I still got him, but it's definitely not the crisp, clear shot I was looking for (guess I'll take it, though ;o)

The best thing? I finally finished painting the horse DD cut out for me a REALLY long time ago and we hung it up by the sink. I've got another neat welcome sign made out of horseshoes that I think I'll put up there (we want our visitors to feel really, really welcome *laugh*). We also moved one of Bella's pedestals over by the sink so little kids could borrow it to wash their hands after visiting the horses. I think she did an awesome job. What do you think?

I have to say, we were all pretty doggone (hee) worn out by the end of each day. We got quite a bit done; though there's lots left to do. I really hope there aren't any horrible errors and/or typos in this post, as I have not been very diligent in my proofreading this week (I'm pretty doggone tired myself). If I've made any, please accept my profound apologies. As for now, it's time to get back to work. *groan*

Have a blessed week everyone!

This eventuality is now a reality - Hooray!!

**Coffee and a Donut post**

A little over a year or so ago my mom started going to a watercolor painting class every week. My dad thought it would be a fun thing for her to do; possibly helpful as well since she had been diagnosed with Dementia. He was so right - she absolutely loves it! Although retired my dad is a busy guy, so in an effort to pitch in and give him a break (albeit a small one), I offered to run by the class each week to pick up mom and bring her home; then he could run some errands or do whatever he needed to do during that time. Since he was staying there with her - trying to work from a chair in the studio - I thought it would at least buy him an extra hour or so's worth of [more comfortable] productivity each week.
Now I'll cop to a teensy bit of wishful thinking here, as painting (and I do NOT mean the walls in the house ;o) has been a dream of mine since forever, though I've never made mention of this to my dad or anyone else. I figured if I sat there and paid attention to Mom's lessons, I might even learn something. Photo inset: Isn't that the coolest door? I loved the peeling paint, weathered look, and the overall symmetry of it. This is a local church, and one of my "Scripture Pictures" (to wit: Rev 3:20 "Behold, I stand at the door and knock...")

I was an art major in high school and we did all kinds of different things, but we never covered painting. I guess because it was too expensive; it certainly couldn't have been the mess, as we made some spectacular ones on a regular basis. In any case, I was not allowed to pursue art beyond high school (long story, that) and I gave it up completely after I graduated. Well, until my cancer diagnosis, that is (more on that whole story here, if you're interested). Although I did attempt to learn to paint on my own, it was a little too complicated for me figure out without professional help (so I just went back to my faithful friends - #2 Pencil & Company ;o) I did manage to create one halfway decent work with watercolor pencils [photo inset] and a whole boatload of "Meh" before I gave it up in frustration.

After I had picked up and delivered mom a few times, my dad and I had the following conversation:

Dad: You know, if you're going to go get your mom every week you should probably just take the class with her.
Me [rolling my eyes and laughing]: Yes, well. That'd be great there, Pop, but I'm afraid extravagances like art classes don't exactly run around in my reality.
Dad [shrugging]: We'll pay for it.
Me [horrified]: Oh my goodness, that's not what I meant at ALL! No, no, no, I couldn't let you do that. It's way too much!
Dad: I'd be happy to do it. You're going there every week anyway; you might even enjoy it.
Me [backpedaling]: Well I'm sure I would, but I don't want you to feel like you have to do that. I'm happy to just pick her up for you. Really, I am. I don't mind it at all. Honest!
Dad [in exasperation]: LOOK. We may not be rolling in it, but we can certainly afford to do this for you. You know that.
Me [now sputtering]: Well, yes...Maybe, but...Well, I...I mean, you can't...I couldn't... it's just SO much... 
Dad [eyeing me strangely]: I don't see the problem. You like art, I know you do. We want to do this; I know good and well you'd enjoy it. Besides, are you seriously going to keep arguing with me about it?
Me [having a major V-8 moment]: Uh... No. No, I'm not. Not at all, actually. I think I'm done being an idiot. Mostly, anyway. THANK YOU, Pop!
I guess this might sound a bit silly, but I actually cried a few happy tears in the car on my way home. (I mean honestly, what's a girl to do when she's overwhelmed by an out of the blue blessing like that, you know? :o)

Not sure why, but after the first two or three sessions, I decided to start keeping up with the weekly progress on my third painting of a Nandina (done from a photograph of a bush behind the house that was taken a long time ago). My second painting (a Rose of Sharon) is in the blog slider above. The first one may (or may not) ever see the light of day. I have a LOT to learn, and I am incredibly slow. I did do my sketch at home (seemed wasteful do use class time for that, since I can at least draw all by myself ;o) Each slide change is one class; it took me about 23 or 24 weeks to finish this. I told you I was slow. *laugh* Disclaimer: In my defense, I didn't know I was going to share these, so the cell phone photos are not the best (#3 is simply dreadful):

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And now for an update on the "P" word (project). I'll bet you thought I forgot all about it, didn't you? Surprisingly, I didn't (though maybe shockingly would be the more appropriate adverb ;o) We definitely needed somewhere for our visitors to wash up after petting the ponies (or using the outhouse), and decided to go with your basic el-cheapo laundry tub. Not only was it basic, it was also incredibly booooring. Added to that, of course, was how utterly ridiculous a blinding white sink looked with the rustic theme we had going on (remember my potty post?) Plus anyone with an ounce of brain cell knows that while it is all shiny and white and pretty right now, it certainly isn't going to stay that way. As if all that were not enough already, don't we all know by now that Jennifer just can't leave such things alone? [Cue eye roll and dramatic, self-deprecating sigh] I decided to paint it, but with what? For the outside I knew I could use outdoor paint made specifically for plastic, but what about the inside? I decided to try Leak Seal (the stuff you put on your gutters). It's made for outdoor use and it's tough (at least I hope it is). Wasn't sure if it would work or not, but it looks like it just might do the trick. *WOOT* I started with the bottom, which still needs another coat or two...

...and then I went for the interior and top portion. So far so good, but it definitely will need another coat of Leak Seal (this was the whole can).

Hopefully, I'll have some "all finished" photos for you in the near future :o) I also [FINALLY] started painting the spectacular wood cutout DD made for me (which was longer ago than I care to acknowledge *laugh*):

I might have gotten just a little bit sidetracked somewhere in the middle of all that to play with some dangling Zenspirations (this info's for my creatively crafty blogging buddy, Ann ;o) to spice up a birthday bag for my friend Kimby. I'll tell you all about her next week - she's amazing! Not my best work, but it was a lot harder to doodle on that bumpy bag than I thought it would be (plus the .07 pen was a bit too thick for my liking - .03 worked much better). Sure was fun though!

I'll be adding something new here called a "Random Moment" periodically. Sometimes I have something I learned or came across that I want to share with you, but it's often short and not relevant to whatever I'm talking about at the time (that's so very... Me: not relevant - HA). Anyhoo, here's the first one:

Random Moment: Paper Karma is the most marvelous app! I guess you could call it the postal version of "Do Not Call". I know one thing; it cut our junk mail down to almost nothing. We had an unbelievable deluge of "spammy" snail mail and credit card offers every single day; it drove me bonkers tearing them all up (can't just toss it all because now they plaster your name all over it and you have to worry about identity theft don'tcha know). Now we barely get a handful all week. Hooray!! Find it on Google Play here, and iTunes here. It really does work!

Thank you for reading so [very, very] far this week; have a blessed day y'all!

OH-OH-OH! Did you see what Carrie did for me? Check out my new little ray of sunshine in the comment part below (I'm telling you, that girl is a digital rock star!) You might even leave me a comment; they really do brighten my day! ;o)

Jen goes wireless and the almost patio

It has definitely been a character building week, have you ever had one of those? Betcha have. The classroom teacher was out Thursday and Friday which meant two things: substitute and HEADACHE (ugh). Things were really looking brighter though, by the time I arrived home Friday afternoon. Why? Because we finally (finally, Finally, FINALLY! *and insert off-key aria of LAAAAA right about here*) have concrete, and wonders never cease. Ha. I would offer bets on whether or not Jen crashes and burns either going out or coming in with that step [photo inset] however, I'm not into gambling and that is what's known as a sucker bet anyway (it's definitely not if, it's when and will there be a trip to the ER?). 

There's also the possibility that DD and I split the difference with one wipe out each; you just never know when both of us were born without the Grace Gene *grin*. We're counting on DH to take care of things topside (he's 6'1" without his boots). Lifting the door may take a little bit more doing than originally thought, though, as they concreted the threshold... Ooops. 
The green uprights [photo below] were for the screen on our old patio long since converted to a tack and feed room (kinda messy in there *wince*). Actually, we were halfway finished with it when we got the horses so I never even painted the rest of the ceiling, just slapped some paneling up on the walls. Guess I'm going to have to add that to my project list now, as this will become an indoor Epic Farms area. Room? Office? Whatever ;o)

We did, however, encounter one large and one small problem. The large problem was that there was not enough dirt to build up one end to the height they needed (just one of those things that wasn't discernible until they started working). They ended up using considerably more concrete than originally planned; that's for sure. Our house is on a downward slope, so the patio had to be up high enough to keep the water from running into the house if we have heavy rains (that would be bad ;o) and also allow enough height to ensure patio sloping for water runoff (basically into the hill). Thankfully, DH was there to make that decision. That sure is an awful lot of concrete though (yikes). So much for the money we had set aside to do the rest of it right away. POOF! History. Toast. Gone. *sniffle*.

The small problem - thankfully - only affected the bottom part of the wheelchair ramp, although it took some doing to correct as the concrete had already begun to set. Seems the concrete truck (or the workers) knocked down our little "no dogs allowed" fence, and our neighbor's ankle biter popped over to investigate. Naughty girl!

Now we just have to let it cure for a minimum of 28 days before we can stain it. Oh goody, more waiting. So what do you think? Turned out pretty well, didn't it? The area that juts off on the right way in the back will be the tack and feed room. (and Boo-Yeah to that! ;o) It's longer than it appears in the photo. The patio itself is 16' by 40' not including the feed room. Sure doesn't look that big in the photo though, does it? The pipes sticking up on the right in the foreground will be a bathroom.  

You know, I wonder if I took my hairdryer on the high heat setting and...well, never mind. Guess I'll just wait. *tapping foot*. Is it ready yet? No. How about now? No. Ready? Not yet. Okay. Tap-Tap-Tap-Tap...*heavy sigh*...Tap-Tap-Tap. What about if I...

Have a wonderful and blessed week everyone!

   

I'm free, I'm free, I'm freeeeeeeeee!

Thirty days may not seem like a long time [if you say it fast], but when you are stuck with something seriously annoying it can feel like FOREVER. I said goodbye (and good riddance) to my little sidekick this week, and have developed a deep appreciation in my new found ease of just changing clothes (among other things ;o) Thankfully, nothing major showed up so that - I hope - will be the end of that.
Look who was hanging out by the back door at feeding time yesterday? I wonder if I need to start leaving a bowl of bunny chow out there for him (and Harvey too) *laugh*. Elwood was nice enough to pause and sit up by the lumber so I could get a good photo; actually, I managed to shoot more than one but I liked the little patch of clover he was sitting in. Hopefully, it will not be there long, as we are almost ready for concrete at long last - WOO!!
My rosebush in the front has gone bloomingly ballistic - I wish I had thought to snap a picture for you the other day (at the height of it). It still looks pretty though, even if some of the blooms are seriously wilted. I'll post another closer shot at the bottom to share with you and for Brenda's Photo Challenge (which I almost never think to do ;o)
I am SO happy to report that the roof is now UP.  I've dubbed it "the almost patio" *grin*. Hopefully, roughing in the plumbing will be on the agenda next weekend, so we can call in someone to do the concrete before too much longer. I have a friend that foolishly graciously volunteered to help me acid wash it so we can give it a nice rustic finish (and after all this time, I can hardly wait to get it done!!! *bounce*bounce*bounce*:o)
Here are some photos of our progress...

We ran out of daylight again, but he did make it to the end of the roof - the last piece is up... hooray! I must say I was pretty impressed that DH was still able to cut out a square in the dark so it would fit over the end post (wow).
While we're on the subject of updates...do you remember how very small Faith and Hope were in comparison to Charity when we got them? They were about 1/4 her size (that post is here) Well I think it's safe to say they have grown a bit. Here's an updated photo, what do you think? It's a little grainy due to the water, but check out Faith's tubby little tummy *laugh*. I'm thinking she needs to cut back on munches and start doing some crunches). Charity looks like she's going to go KABOOM at any moment, but Hope just looks longer (must be that black stripe; stripes are supposed to be slimming, right? *giggle*).
I think that's probably enough of me for now. I've been outside spraying weeds in the pasture for half the day, so I'm pretty much ready for a nap (not that I'm actually going to get one, mind you). Have a fabulous week everyone, and here is that pretty spring bloom I photographed just for you...Enjoy!

Oh, and I am still working on that little video clip (it requires sitting still for large quantities of time and saying many repentable words. I'm a turtle of an editor, and the learning curve is more of a hairpin turn so you see where the holdup is, right? ;o)