Happy Pink Wednesday!!

Macey, my favorite sweet bundle of pink, and my beautiful daughter, Brittany.

Barn House madness! This picture was taken as we were pulling things out of the garage to decide what to take and what needed work. Only a week and a half left to go until the Barn House Flea Market. I'm soooo not ready yet. I still have a big French style cabinet to paint!! Oh, and pricing...lots and lots of pricing. Oiy.

On a brighter note, this is how the back garden addition is coming along! Hardy perennials like daylilies, carpet roses and sedum have been planted and the Passion Flower vines are up and growing nicely. It will take a couple of years for everything to fill in. Waiting for it to happen is the hardest part!!

A couple of blooms to leave you with today. Sunsprite, my favorite rose. It's scent is absolutely delicious, blooms profusely through the summer and it's virtually disease free in my climate. Love it!!!

And finally, another bit of pink. A lovely pink dahlia! I've never dug up this dahlia and wintered it over in the garage. It's a dahlia that was planted the year of my daughter's wedding and the only one to reappear year after year. Obviously it likes where it's planted so I'm not touching it. Each year I'm reminded of such a gloriously happy time for our family with each bright pink, and yellow bloom, in my garden. Life is grand!!

The happiest of Pink Wednesday's to you!! Aleta

Weekend Art Classes with Lisa Kaus!

Gosh, I think when I last posted I was preparing for my sister's visit and a weekend full of art classes with Lisa Kaus! That was a couple of weeks ago!! Where does the time go? I used to be so faithful about blogging and my Pink Wednesday's. Once again, too much on my plate and a summer full of family and friends. Oh, and then there's preparing for Barn House! That's the next post! Or, perhaps the one after that. I have some catching up to do.....
These are my finished projects. Yes, I actually finished each project in each class. Don't fall out of your chair now. It was my sister's doing really. She challenged me to finish each day. Sometimes I need to be challenged....sometimes I just need a good swift kick in the behind! Ha!
I think the above piece is my favorite. I love the soft watercolor effect I achieved. I'm just not a bold color person. That is left for my sister, Michelle.
This is the culmination of our artful weekend with Lisa. Michelle's beautiful work is on the left....see....bold color. Mine....quiet color on the right. We are the same, only different. ;o)

Well then, I'm off to paint furniture for Barn House. Warm white is the color of the day!!

Warmest bear hugs on a stunningly beautiful (and oh boy is it gonna be a hot one!) day in Portland, Aleta

Talk a walk with me.

Here is some of the beauty that surrounds me in the garden right now. My new favorite plant, and the vine I decided to grow on the arbor, is Passiflora. It's the purple exotic looking flower. Isn't it marvelous?!!

I'm busy with art classes in Lisa Kaus's studio this weekend. My sister, Michelle, has come from Alaska to play too! We'll see what we can create. Er, rather we'll see what I can actually complete. I've been having a bit of trouble on that end of late. ;o)

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

Pink Wednesday!

Happy Pink Wednesday! I know...you didn't think I was ever going to get back into the swing of things. Slowly but surely. I still have some catching up to do but I'm getting there!!

Oh, but look at what I found today!! A darling pink chippy child's chair for Macey's nursery here at home. It's just the sweetest little thing! I found it at Monticello while I was there fluffing up my little space. This chickiedoodle can't just fluff and run you know. I gotta browse too!! I must confess, this is the reason for my willy nilly scatterbrained and mostly missing posts. Sweet baby Macey. My most favorite pink thing on the planet!! She's starting to smile when she recognizes faces. My heart just melts when she smiles at me. Think I'd get a picture of that smile? No. Too busy beaming with pride that she recognizes her Nana. I'm such a mushball. (happy sigh)

Warmest Pink Wednesday bear hugs, Aleta

We have a little project!

I get these wild ideas. It happens when work slows down for the guys and I'm left to find things for them to do around here. We've got to keep everyone employed you know. I have a whole "honey-do" list but wild ideas are another thing altogether. Heehee!

The idea here was to take out the ginormous Japanese Maple and replace it with the French Arbor that Brittany and Jeremy were married under on the upper lawn almost three years ago. That in itself was quite the project! Not the married part, the Japanese Maple removal part. ;o) Needless to say, the maple couldn't be saved. I wanted it out and I wasn't waiting till next spring when it was still dormant. Crazy, I know. No one said I was the brightest bulb in the box. ;o)

We also cut out a four foot swath of grass out along the pool deck edge to add yet another planting bed.

Here is the stonework in progress....a lovely round shape to echo the shape of the arbor. My son, Justin, lay the stone while my son-in-law, Jeremy, worked on the puzzling the pieces together. Bill hauled the stone in stack by stack from the driveway to the back garden. What a team effort!! Goooooo team!!

The stone foundation is in and they're working on putting the arbor into place. There is leveling and more leveling before the top goes on.

A great days work!! It looks just as I'd imagined! And, they wired it for lights!! I love it when it works out like that. Now comes all the planting. That takes me awhile....

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

Where the heck have I been?!!

Here is just a snapshot of what's been going on in my life to keep me away from blogging.

Gigi and Gramps (My mom and dad, aka Great Grandma and Grandpa) came to visit to see sweet baby Macey.

We have a little project!


Took a little side trip.

Gnomed....AGAIN! This time mushrooms joined the party as well!

In the next few days, I will try my best to fill in all the stories to go along with these pictures. As you can see, it's been a very busy time around here. It's only going to get busier, and busier, and busier! Busy is good.

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

Miss Meribeth Butterbottom

It's back to work for me!! Miss Meribeth Butterbottom was just listed on my website. :o)

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta