Friday Potpourri

It IS Spring ~ is it not??

truthfully it has been a nice week

the snow is melting

the sun has been out more than 1 day

and I see patches of green grass

and shoots poking through the ground

and there is snow in the forecast tonight

*sigh*

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it has been an emotional week

learning news through social media is sometimes not a good thing

I guess it depends on the news

and who it is from 

I got over my anger and hurt feelings

and carried on

*double sigh*

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the drywall work is complete

and I will be picking up my primer tonight

so look out for tomorrow

roller in hand and I will be a mad woman!

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I have been playing around in PicMonkey

and have been having so much fun

I found a tutorial on how to make to make your very own

subway art and I love how mine turned out

check out the how to here

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these may very well be on the menu for Sunday brunch

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I so want to get my painting completed this weekend

so I can concentrate on loading in

sorting and making it all pretty 

still no wall sconces ~ I may get out this week to look

looking for a slow cooker meal for tomorrow

I really do not like stopping a job 

to prepare a meal 

my best friend's daughter is due any day now

I am so excited to meet this little boy

what's on your agenda?

Happy weekend.

The Women that Made Me ~ Aunt Dot

Today I would like to introduce you to

my Dad's oldest sister

my Aunt Dot

born Dorothy Ann

this is the woman that kept my grandmother's memory alive

for over 25 years

Grampy said that "Barb will never be gone as long as Dot is around"

he was a wise man

she was just like her mother in so many ways

although she did not quilt and knit and sew like Grammy

she looked like her ~ talked like her

and cooked like her

she and her husband kept the farm going

opened it up for the summer

used it like a cottage

she kept up the flower beds and roamed the fields looking for

berries and wildflowers

an avid bird watcher too ~ she was many things

to many people

Aunt Dot, Dad & Aunt Jeanne

when I got married she gave me 

her Mother's cameo as I had told her years before

that I wanted to wear it on my wedding day

little did I know that she did not just lend it to me

she gave it to me ~ to keep

and I will cherish it always

Aunt Dot, Dad, Mom & Carolyn seated in front
Family Reunion ~ Rockport Hall 

like her mother she was a strong woman

who was struck down with a sad disease

aphasia took away her speech 

I was into the hospital to see her

while Mom was in there last year

she could not speak

but the recognition was still in her face

the eyes never change

and I could see her searching my face

and I held her hand and talked to her

remembering the woman she used to be 

she passed away a week or so after that visit

and I knew that instinct that sent me from the chapel

to her room was maybe not instinct at all

but a gentle nudge

I am so glad I made it in there

to say goodbye

and when I walk through the fields at the farm

I smile as I know

I am carrying on a family tradition.

Friday Potpourri

I am ready for Spring

not just calendar Spring

open up the windows and let the warm breeze flow

through the house Spring

yes ~ I am ready

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but this is the north-east

and we had flurries not once

but twice this week

considering that I had the windows opened last Sunday

for a couple of hours and it was beautiful

the wind chill this week brings you down....

so I am ready

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for the forsythia to come to life

to paint my tootsies 

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to shut the furnace off

and have the doors and windows open

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to hang the sheets on the line

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loving the colour and pattern on these ones!

This week has been basically uneventful

the drywall guy comes this morning

and I am excited to say the least!

Will be going out on the weekend to look for new lights

and maybe some new flooring too

other than that ~ I will sit and wait for my room to be ready

for paint and pretty

maybe I can get into the closet and purge some stuff

and maybe ~ just maybe

paint my toes.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend.

The Women that Made Me ~ Aunt Jeanne

I am having so much fun with this series

and next up in my Dad's sister

my Aunt Jeanne

Uncle Bobby, Aunt Jeanne & me ~ circa 1968

I love this picture ~ family reunion ~ the early years

wasn't I stylin' ~ blonde pigtails

I was a cutie!

this woman is one of my favourite people

in the whole wide world

she calls a spade a spade

and has the fight and positive attitude

we could all learn from

when I graduated high school and thought I wanted to move to the big city

to make a go of it ~ start a brand new chapter

she is the one that I talked to

and she opened her door and her heart to me

it is my cousin Gina's Mom

aka ~ my best girl

this picture was taken at Gina's wedding

and I have it framed ~ I love the shot of both her and Mom

and then there is Dad in the background

watching over his girls ~ it's a treasure for sure

this lady has fought cancer and won

only to have a heart attack in '95

when we lost her ~ then they brought her back

she is now a shell of the woman she was

lack of oxygen to the brain can do that to even the strongest 

so she walks with a walker ~ or gets around in her wheelchair

every so often I see a hint of who she was

and my heart aches

it has been years since I have seen her

and pulling pictures for this series

prompted me to plan a trip to go and visit

with those far away ~ reconnect

and tell them that I love them

I found this one and love it

taken at the beach in Dorchester Cape

that's my Dad ~ David

with his siblings and his cousins

again ~ it shows the importance of family through the years.

Randomness Abound

It's Sunday night

and I am achy but happy

I just drove Samantha home

she really does fill my heart right up to overflowing

and it hurts me when she is sad or hurting

it must be what motherhood feels like

she is having some issues with her father

and I am her buffer ~ her safe haven

and I am glad that I can be here for her

and be the fun aunt!

we were creating first

I bought all the supplies to make these cute little necklaces before Christmas

but the time got away from us both

and we got to do them today

I am in no way a jeweller

so I am just saying that these were easy peasy

and cute to boot!

the link to the instructions are here

then I showed her what I was working on yesterday

I found it on Pinterest and thought it would look good framed

so Sammie made her list and is going to work on hers tonight

we had our dinner on Friday so the rest of the weekend was 

free and clear for us

yesterday I ran errands 

and started the makings for these rolls

I tried them last month for the cooking challenge

and I had used the wrong yeast so my dough did not rise

I am pleased to say that is rose just fine this time around

and they are delicious!  

they are time consuming but worth it

I think that I will be having one with a cup of tea soon....

today along with the fun

and finding a crocus in the side garden

we also did some priming

when the drywall guy was here last week

he asked us to put a coat of

oil based primer on the walls

so the plaster would stick to it when he comes this week

so with all the up and down with the roller

my knees are screaming at me tonight!

so that is done and dare I say

I could be painting the walls next weekend

woohoo!!

I picked some samples up yesterday

and was leaning towards a safe colour

but I think my brave side has won

as Barleycorn Flour is the chosen one

I wish this shot showed the truer colour

but it is very pretty

it was a gorgeous weekend here

and our snow has gone down a ton

we noticed buds on the forsythia

and I know it will not be long now

as it was great to sit out on the deck in the sunshine today

I hope that everyone had the most wonderful Easter!

Friday Potpourri

Ahhh ~ there is nothing better than a 4 day week

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this afternoon we will head out to dinner

spending it surrounded by family

and good food

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the drywall guy came yesterday

and we got our quote which I am happy to say

I was quite pleased with

so we have some prep work to do

then he will come back the end of next week

and start the work

guess I should get my butt in gear

and pick my wall colour

so excited!!

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not much else planned for the weekend

other than prep work  for the room

if I can dig some of my supplies out

I may attempt to start one of my projects

time will tell

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one thing I know for sure

I will recharge my batteries

and maybe eat a little bit of chocolate

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but most of all I will remember

that this time off ~ which I will enjoy immensely

is not about the bunny....