FUN AT THE LAKE HOUSE

mORE CHANGES

There, doesn’t that look more balanced? I think Peggy abhors a vacuum.

I’m also trying this in the “hole”. The Venus is a charcoal drawing that I made in art school.

HAPPY 88TH BIRTHDAY, MOM

I talk a lot about my in-laws and there’s a reason for that. They are the best family and we are lucky to have them. last night we went to Rose’s in Eldred to celebrate her birthday and say goodbye to brother Tiger and his girlfriend, Barb, who will be moving to Kentucky next week. We will miss them and our card nights.

Bedroom Redo

The bedroom is really coming together now that I am getting art work and accessories in the room. The curtains are hung and the tiebacks in place.




To the right of the bed I hung this artwork. On the upper right is a watercolor painting I did inspired by my trip to France. The oil painting I acquired at a sale and to the right are pictures I took in France. 




I decided to use the birdhouses on the dresser.

Doesn’t this side of the room look barren now? Hmmm……

GOOD PHILOSOPHY

I saw this on another blog and it hit home with me. So much of how we feel about ourselves comes from what we look like on the outside. And who is 100% happy with the image they see in the mirror each morning? We are so critical of our flaws. We wouldn’t criticize our best friends the way we do ourselves. It’s time we accepted ourselves and loved us for being the person we are. We should always feel pretty.

THINGS ARE A CHANGIN’

 
There are a lot of changes going on at the Karrasch place. Sadie has a new and improved back yard. In this picture you can see how Don moved the fence way back to the woods so Sadie can have more running room. She seems to enjoy the extra space.

There are changes in the bedroom too…new paint, new duvet cover, and new curtains. Now it is time to accessorize. Should it be bird houses or a horse?  What do you think?


This gives you an idea of the plaid Austrian valance that I found at JCPenney’s today. Don’t mind the way it looks, I just pulled it over the sheers. Tomorrow I will get a proper rod for it. That flower arrangement at the right side of the bed will not stay there either. I have to redo it and it will go on the other side of the room.


Looking good, don’t you agree?

New Bedding, new room

Here’s a sneak peek at the new bedroom. Don finished painting it after I took down the border which was around the wall (like a chair rail). It really isn’t as yellow as it looks in these picture, more of a cream.  I searched all over Erie for proper window treatments, but didn’t find a thing that I thought was appropriate. I hope that I don’t have to sew my own like I did in my living room and kitchen. I guess that’s the only way to get exactly what I like. Now I’m looking for art, pillows, and accessories. I think I found a picture I liked at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Don’t you think the furniture would look better with an antique ivory finish? I do. I’ll never talk Don into that.LOL. 

Eat, Pray, Love

What a great evening. My friends and I went to see the new Julia Roberts’ movie: Eat, Pray, Love.  The scenery was beautiful and the story although slow moving in places was entertaining. Afterwards we ate at Applebee’s. It’s so much fun being with the girls!

FISH PARTY 2010

It was a beautiful night for a party…the temperature was just right, warm with a slight breeze. It was time for our biannual walleye fish fry.

Our friend, Bill, picked corn from his garden and Scott and Dan got busy husking it. 


It took Don over an hour to fry all 15 pounds of Walleye. He drenches it in cornmeal and dips it in a beer batter. Everyone just loved it, even non fish eaters licked their chops.


The courtyard was set up with tables all ready for the guests.


Kay is cutting the cherry pie as Lynda looks on. Carol is deciding among the varied desserts.


Yrsa and Linda are gabbing away after finishing their plates. There were so many good dishes…we loved the zucchini and squash casserole, the fruit salads and calico beans.


Dan’s Bradford friend, Samantha, came and later they went to the races.



Don is talking to his aunt Sue. 

 
We all had  a great time!

awesome!

OK, everyone brags about their grandchildren…..but would you take a look at this?



Dan is such a great photographer and now he is photoshopping pictures. This is amazing! Very cool!

Saturday night out

I’m officially balloting for Queen Ann’s Lace to become an official summer flower. There is nothing that makes a floral arrangement look elegant than this lacy round wildflower. It is at home with the phlox and yarrow and lends a graceful swag and wildness to these summer flowers.



Don’t you think that impromptu invitations sometimes turn out better than long term plans? I called a few friends on Saturday and invited them out to dinner. We started with appetizers on our breezeway (round multigrain loaf filled with spinach dip and brushetta) and proceeded to Docksiders (a lovely restaurant on the Allegany reservior.

It was a perfect summer night and we ate while the sun set over the water.


Don and Aline enjoying the beachy decor and the buzz of activity. They were extremely busy as everyone had the idea of eating on the lake that night.


Aline and Jerry are checking out the menu. The food was delicious!


Gary decided on “Steak on the Lake”, Jamie had a special burger while Don had the prime rib.   Afterwards we came back to our house for s’mores and music on the courtyard. What a wonderful weekend.  

I won!

Look what came in the mail today!


Right away I knew this was from a creative, artistic person….yes, that describes Violet Skiles. I surfed to her blog, Creating Beauty (www.VioletSkiles.blogspot.com) and immediately discovered this wonderful artists who shares some of my loves….Eiffel towers and chocolate. She was having a giveaway and one of the prizes was this outstanding silver necklace.

I immediately entered my name in the drawing and was surprised and pleased when I found out I had won!

Everything about the packaging was delightful as you can see.

It came in it’s own little black mesh bag. I couldn’t get a good pictures of it. Isn’t it cool that I have some silver hammered earrings that will look great with it tonight when I wear it?
Thank you dear Violet! I will think of you every time I have it on. And I will continually read your blog for inspiration. Beauty is meant to be shared and I’m grateful that you shared yours with me.

new glasses

I got my  new glasses today. Whataya think?