Update on the Craig's List Screen House

Today we spent the day "up north" on our 40 acres, working on the Craig's List Screen House (I've posted about my husband's screen house project using lots of free and very cheap things from Craig's List).  Here's a shot of our 40 acres from high above.

The green dot is where our cabin will be, eventually.  The trails are well worn dirt bike tracks from all three of my kids' dirt bikes.  The clearing with tiny buildings is where the shed, outhouse and soon to be finished screen house will be.  Prior to the construction of the screen house, when we spent time up there - overnight - we sleep in the loft in the shed and were using a pop up camper as a kind of porch.  Somewhere with tables and seating so we could get out of the weather during the day if need be.

I was sad to see the camper go but excited about a permanent structure that would allow for a couch, chairs, a kitchen table and an inside shower.  Taking a solar shower out in the open can be rather embarrassing if your neighbors choose that time to visit!

So the construction began on the screen house last fall.  My husband, his brother and our oldest son spent a few weekends putting in the floor and plumbing......

the framing - walls and roof (the large 3 foot overhang will allow us to keep the windows wide open even when it's raining)......

Next came the shingles and an opening for a door.

This spring, the windows and door were added (the door was free from Craig's List and the windows were $150 total).

My husband added battons and then caulked around all of them, around the windows and on any screws to make it more weather proof.

My husband added venting on his last trip.

Today, my daughter and I started priming the exterior.  It was her job to sweep the dirt off of the wood first, then she painted around all of the edges of the battons.

We only primed up to the bottom of the windows as some more caulking needed to be done.

I was able to prime the entire backside, after it stopped raining, because the kitchen window had already been completely caulked and ready to go.

The last work of the day was the installation of the screen door.  This was a free find on Craig's List.  My husband took out the original window and screen and made a wooden frame with a new screen.  His next project - attaching the solar panel to the roof so we can have some electricity.  Enough to power lights, a fan, charge cell phones, run a small TV/DVD player and a radio.  I'm constantly amazed at what he can do!

The weather turned stormy and the mosquitoes were very blood thirsty so we came home early.  But not before my daughter got in a few rides on the four wheeler......

and her older brother got to test the new commercial weed whip!

Once the screen house is finished, we're hoping to have guests come and visit.  You must be able to "do your business" in an outhouse; take a shower without running water (we're going to be equipped for an indoor solar shower in a real bathtub); take walks through the woods; trap shoot; ride a dirt bike or four wheeler; enjoy a roaring bonfire - we have plenty of wood in the wood shed;

play games (my husband's favorite is PIT); count the stars; enjoy grilled food; take naps in the middle of the afternoon (just because); watch for wildlife (we do have a resident bear and lots of coyote, deer and an owl); play polish golf and yard darts; and listen to Diana Krall (my favorite jazz artist).  Just look for our property sign!

"Relaxing, experiencing nature and laughing are what rejuvenate me and make me feel happy, that's when I look beautiful!  I make a point of laughing out loud every single day."  -Sui He

Beaded Embroidery - The Lazy Stitch

For anyone who consistently reads my blog, you know that I am intrigued and fascinated by all different kinds of handiwork.  I'm always on the look out for the different things people create and sometimes I stumble upon artwork in the most unlikely of places.

Tuesday night, at my 14 year old son's last baseball game, one of the other moms, a new friend of mine,  was working on a beautiful piece of beaded embroidery.  She sat in her lawn chair while the boys warmed up and set to work creating a beautiful beaded flower.  Of course I had a million questions for her but I never asked her if the type of embroidery had a name.

All week I've been thinking about her handiwork so today I sent her a text and told her that I'd love to see what it looked like when it was finished.  I knew she had to be almost done with it as it was to be given as a gift during an Indian Naming Ceremony that was taking place this weekend.  It was to be attached to a neck tie and given to the child's godfather.  This is the picture she sent me of her almost completed piece of work.

This time, I did ask her what the name of the embroidery technique is.  It's called Lazy Stitch.  If you do an internet search on it, there are many You Tube videos showing the "how to" and also many articles on the history of this Native American craft.  I'm not one who can watch a video and teach myself so I asked my friend if this is something she'd be willing to teach a Non-Native person.  She said, "Absolutely!"  I can't wait until my first lesson!

"Lazy stitch beadwork is one of the simplest beadwork techniques.  It is good for covering large areas in a relatively short period of time.  That is not to say that it is easy to do correctly or fast.  It is neither.  Like all craft techniques, experience and skill determine the beauty of the finished result."  -www.matoska.com

Happy 4th of July

Happy 4th of July!!

4th of July Hostess Gift

Tomorrow we have been invited to a 4th of July Party.  I wanted to bring a hostess gift and with my recent canning and knitting (pickled asparagus, raspberry/rhubarb jam and a flag hot pad), I had the perfect gift.

All I needed was something to put my goodies in.  I took a trip to Target and in their outdoor section, they had this cute white, plastic herb planter.

With some supplies I already had on hand, burlap, striped napkins and ribbon, I had the perfect wrapping for my gift.

I opened two napkins and put them back to back.  This way, the stripes will show on both sides.

Next I placed the napkins in each one of the pots.

I opened another napkin and placed it on my burlap scrap as a size/shape guide.

Then I prepared the gifts by tying each of them with a festive piece of ribbon.

I wrapped each item in a piece of burlap and tucked it into one of the pots already lined with the striped napkins.

I did the same thing for all three items.

Lastly, I added a little decoration to the base of the pots by using double sided tape and wide blue ribbon.

Here is the finished product.  Can't wait to give it to our host and hostess tomorrow!

"Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it."  -William Arthur Ward

Sweet Gifts

Today is my daughter's 11th Birthday.  She got a lot of things that she really wanted like a phone, portable DVD player and a very sparkly skirt.  BUT I think the gifts that touched her the most were two very heartfelt gifts.

Last night, at about 10pm, my daughter came rushing into my room and said, "Mom!  We need to call Keri!"  Her daughter had given my daughter a survey earlier in the day that needed to be answered ASAP.  We compromised and sent them a message via Facebook.  Those answers came back to my daughter as a very special gift.  I heard her answer the door when her friend brought the gift - she was so sweet in her gratitude.  She understood the thought and the work that went into making such a personal gift.  Here is the creative gift from a very thoughtful little girl who lives next door.

Favorite color:  purple

  

Favorite animal:  peacock

Such a special gift from such a sweet friend.

The other gift is another homemade treasure from one of my daughter's dear friends.  Given a square of scrapbooking paper her girlfriend crafted a special, one of a kind, piece of art.  The handmade note is priceless.

These gifts and my daughter's reactions to these gifts, were reminders that in this world of "things" the sentimental gifts connect us to others and let us know how much we're loved by those around us.  Pass it on!

"Appreciation is a wonderful thing:  It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well."  -Voltaire

Rhubarb Dessert

I had a little leftover rhubarb from the raspberry rhubarb jam I made this past weekend, so I decided to make a rhubarb dessert.  It's a dessert that takes very few ingredients, takes only a few minutes to prepare and about an hour to cook.

The ingredients you need are a yellow cake mix, heavy whipping cream, white sugar and rhubarb.

Prepare the yellow cake mix as directed.

Pour the cake mix in a greased 9 x 11 cake pan.

Over the cake mix, sprinkle on the rhubarb - covering the cake in a single layer.  It will take about 2 cups of rhubarb.

Next, sprinkle 1 cup of sugar over the rhubarb.

Pour 1 cup of heavy whipping cream over the cake.

Bake for about an hour in a 350 degree oven - until the cake turns golden brown.

It's a favorite of my oldest teenage son.  This is one of many servings he had tonight!

"Life is uncertain.  Eat dessert first."  -Ernestine Ulmer