The Back Porch

Wanna meet me on the back porch???  Yes, I have the covered porch all pimped out for the summer!  My trash to treasure wicker furniture is really showing off!  I found the little end table at our Community Thrift store earlier this year for...get this...8 bucks!  Bam, a little bit of spray paint, and it fits right in. 

I managed to snag some cushions this past weekend for a total of $40...thank you - please!  So, we're ready!  I just added some pops of red, my plants, and it's on.  I do still have a couple of finishing touches, but I will wait til I get them done to reveal!

I'm love'n it.  Yes, that is a table runner tucked into that chair.  It was calling to me, and it ended up here.

And here is one final shot showing my handmade shirreted rug, which I am so proud of.  I wasn't sure it would look right here, but was pleasantly surprised.  Now, with the warmer weather, I have something to dig my toes into as I sit out here and knit, crochet and sip on something cold!

I have been so busy lately, in fact, a little busier than I care to be.  It has cut into my yarn time.  Despite that, I was able to finish up a purse this evening!  Hopefully some sun will be out in the next couple of days and I can get some pictures to post.  It has turned out really pretty.  I am now getting ready to start on another vest for a custom order.  Then a "meditation shawl" for another order.  Then a vest for myself.  So my crochet hook is going to be smoke'n for awhile!

I have been wanting to share some old pictures with my bloggy friends!  I have found it a new mission that I get some of these scanned and documented.  So, here we go....

First off, my mom.  I believe she is 17 here, and cute as a button!  Look at those purly whites!  When I was scanning this I was instantly hit with how much she and my niece look alike.  My mom is from a small town called Maskell, Nebraska.  Population 42.  I have been there only a couple times, but love it. 

This is my Grandma Alice and Grampa Ray (my dad's folks), taken on their wedding day July 4, 1934.  I do love this picture.  Her dress was actually blue.   I think she looks so pretty.  They actually had their ceremony in the morning followed by a breakfast.  This lady was at home with a crochet hook and yarn.  I remember her teaching me the ripple stitch when I was a kid.  You hear me talk about her often in my postings.

Here is my Grandma Esther (on the left), her baby sister, Gladys, and her identical twin sister, Violet.  Aren't they adorable??!  Grandma was born in 1904.  The baby is actually holding onto a harmonica.  When I discovered that I wondered if they had to give her that to pacify her.  She has that fussy look on her face. 

My grandma lived with her identical twin most of her life, until her sister died.  Auntie Violet had rheumatoid arthritis that crippled her.  My grandma on the other had was the picture of being healthy and fit.  I remember her telling my after Auntie died that she dreamt about her every night. 

I have to add here that my Gramma Esther had an eye for color that was unmatched.  She was a seamstress all her life.  Her crochet was eye candy, full of color...I loved it!

One more picture???

Here is a picture of the homeplace where my Grandma Alice was born in Oskaloosa, Iowa in the year 1913.  I just like this picture, I suppose for the little ducks in the foreground and the house fading in the background.  It looks old then! 

I am thinking that I will add a tab to this blog where I can begin posting my old photos and talk about them a little bit. 

I'm off now.  Going to get this purse blocked and ready to get pictures of!