16th annual…….

August 15, 2010

Me, Linda, Jann and Debbie at The Homestead Collection

Many, many thanks to Jann…..our driver this year and our organizer. She painstakingly planned each day’s shopping ports…..our first stop, The Homestead Collection in Findlay, OH….only 2.5 hours from our starting point. Behind this beautiful store is Jeffery’s Antiques…..the largest antique store I’ve ever seen chock full of treasures! We also shop at a wonderful store named Early American Home while in Findlay.

Next town was Tipp City, Ohio for some great antiquing. (sorry no photos)


Linda, Debbie and Jann in Waynesville, Ohio

Love this picture! Waynesville is home to many amazing primitive country stores and antique stores. Some of our faves are The Wooden Sunflower, Haberdashery & Days Gone By. The best place to eat in this adorable lil‘ village is The Hammel House. The food is so delicious and the coconut pie is out of this world!!


North Shore Primitives in Washington Court House, Ohio

North Shore Primitives tops our list of awesome primitive country stores. Two stories of the most incredible displays and vignettes of home decor and accessories…..by now we are wishing we brought a u-haul trailer!!

Saturday was our last day of shopping……we drove from Coshocton, Ohio to Berlin, Ohio. The most beautiful landscape was a delight to our eyes. Snippets of early Americana with barns, farm houses, rolling hills, and the Amish in their horse-drawn buggies. So quaint!

Berlin was really hoppin! I wish every town we went to had as many people out shopping as Berlin did. It was quite a sight! Even though it was 90 degrees and super humid, it didn’t stop us crazy shoppers from walking the town in search of more treasures. Our slogan at this point was “it has to be small or buy nothing at all”. We were packed to the gills. We filled every nook and cranny in Jann’s vehicle. Ahhhh, good times.

Jann and Me 🙂

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Oh, the simple things….

August 9, 2010







Before I left last weekend to go up north a thought occurred to me…..why haven’t we used slip ‘n slides down our hill yet? Geez….we’ve lived here for 9 years and I have yet to make this happen? So, while up north we made a trip to Wally world and I found 3 slip ‘n slides for only $4 each. Ryan couldn’t wait to hook them together this afternoon and let the fun begin! Actually they had to add two tarps at the bottom of the hill because they were tearing up the grass! The entire slide was over 50ft long! Nothing brings me more joy than watching my boys have good ol‘ summertime fun!

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Great weekend with great friends!

August 9, 2010

Thank you Bob & Theresa for letting us stay at your adorable homey cabin! There’s nothing like a cabin on the lake in northern Michigan. Instant relaxation!
The view…ahhhh

My wonderful husband

We celebrated Theresa’s birthday one night at the campfire.
Renee, Theresa and me having our morning coffee while gazing out over the lake.

Theresa & Bob
Keri & Paul

Renee & Bob
Amy & Roger

Kevin & Me

Many great memories were made and shared over our three day weekend up north with friends. Thank you to our generous friends that opened their quaint cabin to us all. We started our mornings off with several pots of coffee while enjoying the sunshine over the lake, then onto a huge country-style homemade breakfast. Then a quick change into our suits for the afternoon flotilla…whoo hoo! After our fill of fun on the lake we headed back to the cabin to cook incredible dinners……Saturday night we had salmon, BBQ chicken, fried potatoes with mushrooms, onion, peppers & garlic, fresh corn on the cob, garden salad and fruit salad. Yummo!! Shortly after cleaning up the dinner mess we’d make our way to the campfire for a night of laughter, story-telling, reminiscing, and conversation. Kevin and I are blessed to have so many wonderful friends in our lives.

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So Excited!!!

August 4, 2010

Thank you Studios magazine for featuring my studio in the fall issue!! I am so honored to be a part of such a beautiful magazine along side of such talented artists! Get yours now….on newsstands until August 10 or you can order straight from the source here.

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So Excited!!!

August 4, 2010

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New Patterns

August 3, 2010


Time to start making those handmade Christmas gifts….sorry to bring “it” up, but, geez, time is flying! I cannot believe it is August already! Just wanted to let you know I have the new punchneedle patterns ready for you 🙂 Just click here to order.

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Look for the good…….

July 27, 2010

“Trying to change someone is a waste of time. The very thought of changing someone is saying that they are not good enough as they are, and it is soaked with judgment and disapproval. That is not a thought of appreciation or love, and those thoughts will only bring separation between you and that person.

You must look for the good in people to have more of it appear. As you look only for the good things in a person, you will be amazed at what your new focus reveals.” – Rhonda Byrne

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Holy Rosary Parish Campout

July 26, 2010

Iron Skillet Toss Champ! LOL!

Kevin (my hubby)….just chillin‘

Claire, Mary, Jenny & Ryan with their booty from the pinata

Kyle’s tie-dyed shirt

Ashley’s tie-dyed shirt

Emily’s tie-dyed shirt

Mary’s tie-dyed shirt

Meghan’s tie-dyed shirt

Lisa relaxin‘

Sisters….Mary & Meghan

Meghan, Amy, Mary, Kyle, Tucker and Ashley hangin‘ out Saturday afternoon

Meghan and Ashley with lil‘ Charlie

Susie & Roger with Buster

Even the furry children love the campout!!

What a wonderful weekend we had at the Holy Rosary parish campout at the Berwagana campground in Vassar Michigan! Friday was extremely humid and put a damper on things…Saturday morning was a bit rough as well but mid afternoon the humidity and temperature lightened up a bit and it was much more pleasant. The weekend was full of fun….swimming, volleyball, ladder ball, campfires, smores, tie-dying, pinata for the kids, empty beer can toss for the men, iron skillet toss for the women, pot luck, pancake breakfast and mass outside under tents……it doesn’t get better than that!!! Matter of fact…the weather Sunday was so amazing we stayed an extra day!! I am so happy that our family has made a home at Holy Rosary and have formed so many great friendships there. A big thank you to the Corcoran family for organizing and working so hard to make this annual event so fun-filled.

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Dealing with Life’s Stresses

July 22, 2010

The following is an excerpt from Dr. Denis Waitley’s book “The Psychology of Winning”……….

One of the best ways to develop adaptability to the stresses of life is to view them as normal. Earl Nightingale tells of his visit with his son recently to the Great Barrier Reef which stretches nearly 1800 miles from New Guinea to Australia. Noticing that the coral polyps on the inside of the reef, where the sea was tranquil and quiet in the lagoon, appeared pale and lifeless…while the coral on the outside of the reef, subject to the surge of the tide and power of the waves, were bright and vibrant with splendid colors and flowing growth…Earl Nightingale asked his guide why this was so.

“It’s very simple,” came the reply, “the coral on the lagoon-side dies rapidly with no challenge for growth and survival…while the coral facing the surge and power of the open sea, thrives and multiplies because it is challenged and tested every day. And so it is with every living organism on earth.”

I love this analogy and will do my best to keep it in mind as life’s challenges come my way…I hope it helps you, too.

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Colors & Textures from the Farm

July 21, 2010

I love how the rusty brown color of Daisy matches the rusty brown of the tires. She was hunting wabbit in this photo and was lifting the tires with her nose.

The contrast of the blue-ish colored corrugated metal in the back against the old barn wood and the rusty bed frame gives this photo so much personality.

This is a small little building on the farm. I think it housed chickens at one time. The texture of the roof was so awesome but I couldn’t quite capture it in the photo, however, it is still interesting with the pretty butter yellow brick against the old wood and roof.

This is one of my favorite photos. Love the one window pane missing and the great color of the barn wood. Not sure what that black paper is, but it sure does add to the photo.

This picture and the one below are of an old rusty trailer. I find it intriguing how the words didn’t rust like the rest of the trailer. Great colors!

Ahhh, there’s nothing better than old barn wood with chipped red paint! Love the vertical piece of wood with rusty nuts and bolts.

I like the crispness of the window against the blurry side of the black barn reflecting the field and tree. This is a 3rd lil‘ building on my brother-in-law’s property.

Look at the deep texture of this wood! The only thing that would make this picture better is a lil‘ bird or mouse peeking out of the knot hole!

I liked the harshness of barbed wire against the softness of the foliage. The contrasting colors are equally interesting.

What a cool ol‘ tire. The colors in this picture are wonderful and I love the green grass surrounding the tire as if “hugging” it…..(am I losing it, or what?)

The above photos are from our vacation at my brother-in-law’s farm in Manistee. He and his family have labored many hours cleaning up scrap metal, wire, and many other discarded objects found on the property they purchased a few years ago. However, the things they left add color, texture and interest to the landscape. The 40-acre property consists of a lil‘ blue ranch-style house along with a barn and a few lil‘ out buildings. I enjoyed snapping photos of some of the “treasures” from days gone by.

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