Heading to Topsfield!

  We are heading to Topsfield today!! I am so excited. My sisters and I really love this craft store there. Absolutely Everything is the name of the shop in Topsfield. My husband, Russ is driving us all down in our van. The shop is having a flea market today in their shop. They are selling items they want to get rid of to make room for newer items.. I like that idea. I bet they are going to be busy. This is a picture of their flea market area. I copied it from their newsletter.  I think it will be busy today. I see they have lots of room for people to move around. Good thinking.......
  I just finished working on a card for my friend, Elaine. She needed a card for her son who is getting married in August. I have a couple for her to look at, but I wanted to make something new to get a break from making my son's wedding invitations.

Wedding Card

  I got the layout from a card I pinned on Pinterest. Check out my board there. I added the prima flower and used my spell binders die cuts for the leaves. I love the softness of the paper I used here.
  I used my printer to type out the sentiment and turned it sideways to fit in on the cover.
  Elaine chose my other wedding card, so I will keep this one just in case there is a wedding I will be going to in the future.
  I finished my son's wedding invitations. Wow! Color me happy. I don't want to share pictures of it because their wedding is a year away. I will post them when they have been sent out.. And that won't be for awhile since the wedding is next June..
  Guess I will get back to work on my Disney mini-album. I put that aside once I started the wedding invites. I hope to be posting this project soon. I also am working on my cigar box project. I am using Graphic 45 Secret Garden paper. I hope to have that done soon, too. Thank goodness I am retired. That's all I can say.. I will have pics of our trip to Topsfield, Mass next time, too.

Winding Down!!

   June has been a busy month for us what with traveling and garden work.. We just finished mulching the yard. It looks great. All that sweating and bending was worth it.. I think!  The garden is growing and the trees are looking good.. Here is a picture of our dogwood tree out front.. It looks gorgeous.. I think I am going to dry some of the flowers for my paper crafting.

Gorgeous Dogwood Tree

 We are also having a YARD SALE  on Saturday, June 22nd from 9:00 to 2:00. at 42 Collins Road in Yarmouth, Maine.   My sisters and some friends have added their stuff to make it quite an event. We have a wet suit and surfboard, jewelry, tables, dishes, craft storage items, clothing, and books to name just a few things... Hope if you are in the area, you can come check us out.. Here is a picture of a set of dishes our neighbor, Lisa has for sale.

Very pretty dishes for sale....

   I have been spending time on our back deck that we had built last August. It's been perfect weather for sitting out there and enjoying the birds and getting a slight tan. We love the deck!
   I bought a few pillows for the wicked furniture to make it a comfy place to rest. The rhododendron bush gives the wicker settee a nice shade during the heat of the day. I think we made a good investment building this little deck.. Happy are we!!

Our rhododendron bush

Sure looks cozy...

Kristin ( # 872) is right behind Nathaniel for another good finish....

  Russ and I went to the 5K race that benefits breast cancer research. Our son, Nathaniel and his fiance, Kristin, ran in last weekend. It  was fun to watch them and others try for their personal best. It was  a beautiful day, but I was informed that it was a little hot for running.. I bet.. We sat in the Sea Dogs stadium sipping cool water waiting for them to come running in to the finish.. Loved that..

Nathaniel number 871.. good finish!

   It has been a lovely month for weather. Warming up a  little more each day. This weekend should be perfect for a  yard sale. Hope to see you all there.. Have a nice weekend..

A good day for running a race.. all for a good cause...

New York...New York

    We had a great time with my brother, Hal  and his wife, Charlotte in New Jersey. They drove us( Mom went with us, too.) to New York to see Phantom of the Opera. What a fun day!!! The weather was awesome. NO RAIN!!
      We had rain the whole way to Hal's .. and a lot of rain. We didn't have to pull over, but I was a little nervous.  Russ did a great job driving.
     It was such a relief to get to Hal's. Hal and Charlotte's family was there to greet us. Cindy, Jill, and her husband, Rob with their daughter, Amelia. We had pizza for dinner and caught up on everything.
It was time for bed so we could be ready for the 2:00 show of Phantom of the Opera. We were so excited to be going to the Big City.  And thank God Hal was willing to drive into the city. He is a pro anyway because he takes his family there a lot for different events. 


Charlotte's roses

Pit stop in New Jersey

       The weather was perfect for our trip to New York City. We were pleased to see not too many cars on the road, until we got nearer to the inner city.  There are some crazy drivers out there. We made it though. Hal had researched a place to eat right across from the theater called Angus Bistro. It was perfect 'cause there wouldn't be a lot of walking for Mom.
     

Charlotte, Mom, and Cindy in front of Angus Bistro

The streets of New York

 

 

 

   The restaurant had great food. We loved the open air feel of the table where we were sitting. Hal and Russ walked through a window after parking the van in a parking garage.

Our table by the window

Mom and Hal thinking about ordering.

   The menu was great.  I had a turkey burger. Russ and everyone but Mom had the special plate of a open faced ham and cheese sandwich with a small salad. Mom had macaroni and cheese. We all had desert 'cause the theater wasn't open yet. What yummy desserts to choose from on the menu. I had to have the brownie sundae, but crème brule and toffee bread pudding were also chosen.

    

Brownie Sundae

Toffee Bread Pudding

   We could see the line was starting to wind its way to the front doors; so we paid the bill and headed out. Mom and Hal were allowed to go in cause Mom can't wait in lines. The rest of us went to the end of the line. It was an impressive line, but it went smoothly once the doors opened.

 

Waiting to get in.

  I knew we would be seeing a great show because
our hairdresser, Sue, had been just the week before
and said it was fabulous. She wanted to see it again.

So we were pretty sure this would be great. We weren't
disappointed at all.


Outside theater waiting.

 

   We had to walk up a few stairs to get to the balcony, but it was worth it cause you could really see the stage and there were alot of scenes way above the stage that we could see better from the balcony. Hal picked great seats.

This comes down. It was way up to the ceiling of the theater.

Opening scene stage

  We couldn't take pictures but I got a few of the stage before it started. The chandelier was gorgeous. The music was just beautiful.  We all just talked about the show on the drive back to New Jersey. It was an awesome day. We headed towards Readington Diner for dinner and then to bed. What a nice way to end the day.

   It is so nice to visit family. Hal and Charlotte will be seeing us in Maine in August. It will be a great time... Hope the weather holds out 'cause today it is gorgeous.

Amelia with Aunt Cindy

 



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May Has Come and Gone!

  The end of May has come and gone. I have been working on a thank-you card. I took a break from making wedding invitations to do this card.I bought a new stamp set of just flowers. I took all the packaging off , so I can't tell you the makers. I think I got it on sale at JoAnn's.

A thank you card

   I wanted to thank my neighbor's daughter for giving me some of her crafting materials. I am going to try and sell some of her items at our upcoming yard sale on June 22nd.
   Memorial Day was alot of fun for our family. We had a lobster bake at our house. Russ steamed the lobsters outside on a gas fired cooker. It works really well and helps keep the lobster smell outside; not in the house.

Cooked to perfection

     Everyone brought salads and goodies to eat along with lobster. I get a hankering for lobster couple times during the summer. We get our lobster at Small Point Fisheries in West Point, Maine. It is a working wharf on the Carrying Place Road. They are quite reasonable on their prices compared to anyone else around us in Yarmouth. It is such a beautiful place to visit, too.
  

My cabbage salad;  well actually it is a recipe from my friend, Cindy

Appetizers on a stick

 

 I made the
cabbage salad that we just love to eat during the hot summer months. It has ramen noodles, toasted almonds, and shredded cabbage in it. The sauce is just oil, sugar, soy sauce, and a dash of sesame seed oil. You can throw chicken in it if you want it for a meal. I love it either way.

Stump X removing stumps.

  
  We hired Stump X to cut down one tree and remove six stumps. They did a fabulous job. Kevin finished up with loam and grass seed. So happy to get this job finally completed. We are now watering the grass seed and waiting for it to grow.

Crab apple blossoms.

   Spring is slowing leaving us here in Yarmouth. It has been a rainy chilly season with a few gorgeous days sprinkled here and there. This is the last of our crab apple trees to blossom. The petals are falling off as I write this post. I love the soft pink color against the green leaves.

   Today we are trimming our lilac bushes to get better growth and to be able to reach the blossoms next year. We are also mulching around the house and around our flower gardens. It is a cooler day so it is perfect for working hard outside. I will be glad to get this done.
   I will be back to working on wedding invitations this week. That should give my muscles a little rest after a day of working outside.