The old fireplace: UGLY. When we moved in we vowed we would do built ins. We moved in May 5th 2001. This photo above was taken Christmas 2008. Seven years of procrastination. (And 4 kids! lol) Fast forward to this past fall.... In October 2011, the carpet was already ripped out and the fireplace torn apart. And then Andy got down to work. There were tears, fights, words, conversations.... he was building something completely different... Continue reading

Is it no wonder I'm not sewing anything lately? It's just not fun in this pit. I need serious help. Professional help. Not a therapist or anything. A contractor! We have no spare bedrooms with four kids, so for the last 7 1/2 years I have been relegated to the basement. I share space with junk, holiday decorations, Andy's weight equipment, and his wood/work shop. I occasionally have to shopvac sawdust off my own work tables! UGH! Needless to say, I am officially fed up with the whole situation. I want a sewing room! But Andy does not see this... Continue reading

Come on in! Right through this door.... OK, so my pantry isn't NEW, so to speak. It's been finished for over a year. But I love just as much now as I did when I first walked in the day Andy pronounced it finished. We had this weird extra room under our front porch that made no sense. So we stuck some old metal shelves and a freezer in there as a makeshift pantry as,... Continue reading

I haven't cross stitched in a few years. I came across this pattern on Pinterest and just HAD to go back to my first crafting venture in life. I was 7 years old when my mom taught me how to cross stitch. In fact, she taught her second grade girls how to cross stitch every year for many years when she was a teacher. My mother never did knit, crochet, sew, bead, or do any other crafting, but she did stitch beautifully. I was on to Precious Moments patterns by third grade, she was such a good mentor at it!... Continue reading

I've been holding off on this project until everything else was completed. I bought the pattern and 2 skeins of Misti Alpaca Handpaint Chunky in Granite in February to make "Rita's Reversible Cabled Cowl". I waited because, well, 1) it was for ME, and I always feel guilty knitting something for myself, and 2) the yarn is so scrumptiously soft and yummy, I wanted to really enjoy the project! And I am enjoying it immensely! It's knitting quickly. This is about an hour and a half of progress shown... I can't wait to wear it this winter. We are getting... Continue reading

via thestoryofkat.blogspot.com I stumbled across the most wonderful blog! As you peek through each category, you'll see why it's such a treat. Look especially under recipes, and check out her autumn pie crust - AMAZING! Continue reading

Looky what I've found on Pinterest! I really want to do this: I've resisted Pinterest for ages, because I somehow knew I would be sucked into the void, never to return. I was soooooo right! I have finally succumbed to it's temptation, and have been lost in it ever since. But, thankfully, there is one excellent side effect I could not have predicted! I have been inspired to blog again. I seem to lean more toward Twitter than any other of the social media avenues, and I think it's due to the "short, sweet, to-the-point" nature of it. Blogging has... Continue reading

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I'm working on a fun little project for everyone to stitch! If you are familiar with transfer embroidery, then this will seem really simplistic to you. BUT, if you have never tried it before, then this is the perfect beginner project! I am going to post Monday and Tuesday's transfers today, then I will post each day's transfer design the each day the rest of this week. Here's how it works, if you don't know how. Print out the design onto regular paper. You can save yourself a step by printing it out as a mirror image if your printer... Continue reading

I'm working on a fun little project for everyone to stitch! If you are familiar with transfer embroidery, then this will seem really simplistic to you. BUT, if you have never tried it before, then this is the perfect beginner project! I am going to post Monday and Tuesday's transfers today, then I will post each day's transfer design the each day the rest of this week. Here's how it works, if you don't know... Continue reading

I'm going to pose a question out here, and I really, really, really want you to leave a comment on this post! It's important! I'm looking for your input on this blog. You see, I have been analyzing the different ways people find their way to this site. My stats will show me where folks clicked in from when they get here. It doesn't tell me who, or where, you are in the world. It... Continue reading

So, the basement is as good as it will get... I'm just waiting to put my farmhouse table down there and get rid of the one I have. But at least I have space to work now! My parent's 40th wedding anniversary is this weekend, and we're having a party here at the house. I'm planning on making fabric bunting, table linens, and some other things for decorating the deck. It's Thursday morning. I have golf league tonight, and a wedding to attend tomorrow night. The party is Saturday. And I still have to get all the bedding washed and... Continue reading

I've been so inspired this week to tackle big projects. Great timing, having the kids off to Grandma & Grandpa's for the whole week, but then again... we are hosting their 40th anniversary party at our house on Saturday when they bring the kids back. So I've got to keep perspective and make sure I have the house ready for guests, too! But this project I took on yesterday only took a couple of hours,... Continue reading

No, the basement isn't finished yet. Not by a long shot! I still have to sort out each individual box and purge/re-organize them, but at least I have the space to do it in now. I ended up taking 3 very full loads to Goodwill on Tuesday, including 2 dressers, a table, a desk, and tons of miscellaneous other stuff. Boy, was I tired! Hauling furniture up the stairs, outside, then loading into the vehicle... Continue reading

Yep, I've been AWOL for a week or so. I know! I know! Why haven't I been posting? Well, I have a dirty little secret. Well, not so little in size, once you see it. I've been in my basement. Before we left on vacation, we had a water heater incident that left a mess, and I also had to empty some bins to use on our cargo carrier that attaches at the hitch. It's time to clean up the disarray, but instead of just putting everything away, I got carried away! As usual... I made a bigger mess instead.... Continue reading

Yep, I've been AWOL for a week or so. I know! I know! Why haven't I been posting? Well, the Helpful Housewife has a dirty little secret. Well, not so little in size, once you see it. I've been in my basement. Before we left on vacation, we had a water heater incident, and I also had to empty some bins to use on our cargo carrier that attaches at the hitch. It's time to... Continue reading