Primitive Signs...

Here’s my latest project!

I love these primitive signs, but I never seem to give them as gifts because of the time it takes to make them and I’m usually in a rush and need something quicker! :o) (It’s the story of my life! Last minute! Although I once heard it said, “If you wait till the last minute, it only takes a minute to do!” lol) So… I just went ahead and made a bunch to have on hand. I love how they turned out!!!
Here’s what some of them look like now:

Anyhoo, I must go… But I’ll keep you posted on the life of yours truly!

Fencing... It's a workout!!!

Whew! I'm tired!!!

I just got in from putting in horse fence today. Whew! **With a great big sigh**

Dad and Micah had some friends come and to help! THANKS YA'LL!!! Not only was it great to get done... It was fun to do it with some company! :o)

And contrary to popular opinion, started by someone... **Cough-Ragnar-Cough** I can cook something that didn't come out of a freezer first! :o) lol Both dinner AND supper turned out well despite none of it being processed and frozen! Fried chicken for dinner and grilled steak and chicken for supper... I'm still stuffed!

It was digging holes every 7 ft... Putting 8 ft. posts in the holes... Filling the holes back up with dirt... Packing the dirt in the holes... Stringing cable... All day! I'm tired and downright beat! But it's nice to get done! No more chasing horses in at 1:30 in the morning!!!

We're not finished yet... But we got the part done that the horses were contantly getting out of. So that's nice!!! It'll be so very wonderful when it's all finished. It already looks so great!

Just thought I'd give ya'll an update on why I was so tired tonight!!! :o)

My first lamp!

Hey!

Remember way back when I got that old mauve lamp and I told you I'd report back later when I finished my project? Well... I forgot to report back. Until now!!!

Here's my first lamp project!!! I absolutely love how it turned out! I think I might put a bigger lampshade on it though... I'm not sure I like it. We'll see though.

Anyhoo... Just thought you might like to see pictures!

Candles coming out of our ears!!!

Well… Today I started pouring for fall/winter candle fundraisers. For those of you who didn’t know… That’s my winter life. Our family makes candles! Visit our website at: http://www.mastershandcandles.com/!

Anyway… My friend Jenny (who’s staying here for 5 weeks till school starts) and I spent the last 2 days organizing the candle room. All of the Spring fundraisers scents were along the outside of the room and the Winter scents were on racks in the middle. And all they all needed to be switched. That was a HUGE task that I’m thrilled is over. In all, we organized over 10,000 candles! :o) Yup, I’m glad it’s over!

Thus far today, I poured 2 batches of Victorian Rose candles. Phew! They’re strong! Let’s just say I’m more of a “bakery-type” person than florals!! I’m hoping to get a head start on candles this year, so I don’t have to pour so hard when the time comes! Seriously! It can get grueling! All-nighters aren’t too unusual right before a big delivery. So hopefully we’ll avoid all those this year, eh? :o)
I didn’t get to work on any T2T projects today, but I did get to organize the basement a bit in preparation of some new projects! Will keep you posted! :o)

Anyhoo… Just thought I’d send out a quick update and try to make-up for all the time I didn’t post earlier! :o)

Sill alive and running!!!

Hey!
I just wanted you to know that yes, I am in fact still alive! My computer hasn’t been allowing me to post… Besides that, life has just been too busy to blog!
Remember how I said that during my summer life, we work on the weekends? Strike that… We work at fairs on the weekend and we work the rest of the week getting ready for the fairs! :o) lol

But I got to thinking… You haven’t seen how “Herb” is doing lately, have you?
I went on a date with him last night. (In other words, he got weeded! If you didn’t know… my herb garden’s name is Herbert. “Herb” for short. I know, I know… I’m kinda weird like that! lol)

This is what got planted this year.

Sadly, my chamomile died out. *sniff sniff* We planted the cabbage too close to it and I think it choked it out while I was at CYIA.

But everything else is doing great!
I just realized that I forgot to tell you! Earlier this spring, I got chocolate mint and orange mint!!! They are SO fun! They seem to be growing with full force! I can’t wait till they get full enough that I can harvest them for tea! I’ve been grabbing a few leaves here and there, but not really harvesting it yet per se. Except for my good ‘ol Dutch mint that’s been around forever… I’ve already harvested a bunch of that for this winter.

Anyhoo… Just thought I’d post quick to let you know I’m still alive! :o)

Kaydee...

I don't think I've ever introduced Kaydee to you on my blog!

"Kaydee is a bright reverse-brindle Boxer with a great personality. She is the outdoor type who likes pina-coladas and long walks on the beach..."



Tee-hee Just kidding!

Here's a bit about her though:

• She's a Boxer.



• She is about 1 year 8 months old.



• She's very mature for her age... She's not hyper like a lot of Boxers.



• Her color is very rare. She's a reverse brindle.



• Mom affectionately (And sometimes not-so-affectionately) calls her "The Beast." She randomly destroys stuff whenever I leave her home alone. She doesn't like being left home! She even learned how to open the pantry door. She's getting better though... Not so much stuff is getting destroyed!



• She snores at night... A lot!

Yesterday evening I met with a friend, Abi, at a park in Onawa for supper. (Thanks Abi! I had a great time!) As I was leaving home, Kaydee gave me that look that said, "Please take me along!" Either that, or it was the look that said, "If you don't take me along, I'll destroy everything I can and you'll be sorry!" It's so hard to tell the difference between the two! :o) lol

Anyway... I decided to take her along, since we were meeting at the park. She loved it! And like Abi said, there was a certain safety in having her along! I always feel very safe with Kaydee because she looks mean... But she's not at all.

Last summer I brought her along with me when I took my brother, Caleb and my 2 cousins to swimming lessons. She was just 8 months old, but even then, she could tell when to be protective. As all the moms and kids walked by, she wiggled all over, anxious to meet them. But when some scary lookin' boys went by on skateboards, the hair stood up on her back and she growled as they went by. Yup, I love my dog!

Anyhoo.. Just thought you might like to meet Kaydee since I haven't had time to work on any projects lately to post about.

CYIA Pictures...

Okay... So finally... The long awaited pictures of CYIA! There are lots lore on the CEF website...

Some of the crazy staff girls!

Katie, Me, Jenny, and Anna

"Making Songtime Meaningful" class that I taught with Katie!

I love working with brilliant people... They make me look brilliant too!!

Clik and I

She was one of the dorm moms and I was her right-hand helper!

I was the big bad one who announced LIGHTS OUT!

Katie, Marylen, and I teaching the puppet segment. It was lots of fun!

Good 'ol Labor of Love... (AKA Chores)

Sneaking celery from the kitchen before dinner! Muahaahaahaa!

About halfway through, we had a "Western Night!" It was a blast! As part of it, we played the gameshow...

"WHEEL OF TORTURE"

**Said in my best announcer voice**

The idea of the game was that each contestant would come from the back room, one at a time. When we said GO, they had to lift each box and say what was underneath. The 5th box had a shocking surprise in it!

Nolan!

When each person would lift it up, he'd pop up and yell at them! It was hysterical! They screamed... Jumped... Screeched... Yeah, you get the picture.

Anyway... I was the... Ummm... Lovely assistant during the gameshow! :o)

Nathaniel, the rodeo clown. Yeehaw!

My dear friend Jenny and I!

I miss you and love you, Jenny!

So... I had a simply wonderful time at CYIA this year! Can't wait for next year!

~Nicole

I'm in the NEWS!

Hey!

Look who was in the news!

It's CYIA time again!

I know... I know....
It's seems as if I've dropped off the face of the earth.

My deepest apologies!

I've been in Central City, Nebraska for Christian Youth In Action (CYIA) Since last Monday. I've come here the last 8 years now. As a student the first 5 years and as staff since then. I really do look forward to it every year even though it's awfully intense and we don't really get much sleep!!!

In fact, this pretty accurately describes the plea of most of us by about the 3rd or 4th day!!!

Mountain Dew is my shepherd;

I shall not doze.

It maketh me to wake in hot and stuffy classrooms:

It leadeth me beyond the sleeping masses.

It restoreth my buzz:

It leadeth me in the paths of consciousness for its name's sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of addiction,

I will fear no evil.

For thou art with me;

thy caffeine and thy sugar they comfort me.

Thou preparest a sugar high before me in the presence of mine teachers:

Thou anointest my day with pep; my bottle runneth over.

Surely attentiveness and concentration shall follow me all the days of CYIA:

And I will dwell in the land of Mountain Dew forever.

So there you have it! :o)
I'll update more about it later!

Salvage Style...

A fellow blogger, Margo, recommended a book, Salvage Style ~ 45 Home and Garden Projects Using Reclaimed Architectural Details on her blog and I just got it today! You're right, Margo! It's great! I've only gotten to skim it as life is CRAZY right now, but here's an excerpt that starts to explain why we crazy T2T people do what we do! :o)



The Thrill of the Hunt

“While wading through a salvage warehouse one day, I overheard the store manager ask a customer if she needed any help. “No thanks,” she replied. “I’m just looking for something that’s looking for me. And if you asked this salvage seeker why she spends hours at a time rummaging through old details, getting her clothes dirty, and coughing up 100-year-old- dust, she might reply that she enjoys the beauty of fine craftsmanship. Or, she might say that the antiquity of the piece draws her in. She might even say she enjoys the satisfaction of knowing she is reclaiming pieces of the past her predecessors so carelessly threw away. But if you’ve ever spent an afternoon with an avid salvage seeker, you know that gleam in her eye signifies the excitement of possibilities- the thrill of finding something unique and extraordinary and wonderful- That serendipitous moment when those hours of get-your-hands-dirty adventure pays off with a perfect fit: a decorative iron bracket that cries out, “We’re meant for each other!” You can ask her what she’s going to do with an decorative iron bracket, but she might not even understand the question. It doesn’t matter. And even if she doesn’t find anything that day, she still has splinters in her hands to show for her efforts.

Then there’s the guy who wants to build a table. He’ll scour every inch of the warehouse picking up pieces and putting other pieces back, until he has a conglomeration of what a novice might call junk. But with just his vision and a couple of nails, that guy will have a one-of-a-kind table.”
-An excerpt from Salvage Style ~ 45 Home and Garden Projects Using Reclaimed Architectural Details by Joe Rhatigan and Dana Irwin


I love doing what I do! :o)