That Country Place

What was in your grocery cart today?

2012-02-04T19:07:00.000-08:00

Lovin this old brick GROCERY STORE....

Wonder what prices would have been back when this was the new store on the block?

Hope everyone is having a great week end! I was busy in the kitchen today. Made a pan of brownies to go along with some freezer meals I had made up for a friend who is a new mommy. I delivered my bag of goodies and met the cute little miss B. She is adorable and mom and dad are very pleased with their sweet little girl.

Made it to the gym,,,to work off the brownies I just had to sample before giving some away...and also hit the grocery store. BBQ chicken pizza made it to the menu for supper as chicken breasts were on sale.
Fired up my little George Foreman grill and got busy grilling up the chicken,,,some to use for the pizza and some to go in the fridge for salad, pasta dish, whatever I decide. I like when I get organized and have stuff ready to go.

Here are a couple more shots of the grocery store we found in Medicine Hat

Makes you wonder who F. Scudder was?

So, what is your favorite recipe to make for a quick meal?

We could have a blogger recipe swap.

Have a great evening everyone!

What to do....

2012-01-23T07:45:00.000-08:00

RED n RUSTIC

By now some of you who use Picnik for editing fun have heard that they are closing!!! I think they said something like "the ants have invaded"!! That is sooo disappointing to me! I know there are other editing programs out there and I will recover, but I found Picnik so user friendly. Oh well,,,,I guess it is good to keep the ole brain processing new things right!!

So, here is my Mosiac Monday collection, of course done in Picnik! So my question is does anyone have any other favorite editing programs out there. How hard is it to use Adobe Photoshop? Give me the scoop fellow photographer lovers!!

Have a great day everyone!!

Posting to :

Wordless Wednesday But with Words

Mosaic Monday

2012-01-08T19:47:00.000-08:00

Its Monday...time for a mosaic of some pictures that I took out of the window while travelling to BC this Christmas. I didn't notice until I had the pictures on the computer, how there is just a bit of sunshine coming along the tree line in the first picture. It was kinda bleak and overcast, but was nice to see the sun trying to peak through.

Wishing you Sunshine in your week ahead!

Sunlight Sunday

Happy New Year !!

2012-01-03T17:39:00.000-08:00

Hello blogger friends! I hope you have had a great Christmas with family and friends and that you are all ready for a great 2012!!

I haven't really been doing much on the computer these past few weeks, but with getting back into a bit of a routine I was glad to catch up on visiting some of you.

Tried out another header!! Super easy to change up, so I hope you like my "winter"shots. Even though, there is no snow here!!! It is a pretty brown landscape all over the province and I don't like it!! Bring on the snow please! If it is going to be winter, I like seeing lots of the white stuff. I know there is lots of winter to come yet, so I won't get too excited.

The photo below is one that I took out of the window of the car while travelling to BC this Christmas. It is taken by Mara Lake. I love this little bit of the shoreline, it has changed over the years though as the little "mom and pop" cabins have been bought out by larger condo units. I like the little "mom and pop" cottages better.

Wishing you all a great week and hope you will stop by to let me know what you have been up to.

I think I am ready for Christmas ....

2011-12-18T13:07:00.000-08:00

I thought I would show you just a few more things around the house that are ready for the Christmas season,,,before it is time to take them all down. We will not be having many people in for Christmas this year, but it was still fun to get the house all festive. I tried to get that perfect tree and mantel shot,,,but I guess I will have to keep practising!

How about you,,,is all the baking, wrapping, and decorating done? I am now ready to slow down and just enjoy the Christmas music, the quiet evenings and remember the reason we celebrate....a baby born to redeem us. The best gift ever!!

I love Christmas wreaths and have a number

of them around the house...

We will be doing some skiing in the mountains this Christmas break

Time to get some packing done for that!

Have a happy Sunday everyone!

Merry Christmas from That Country Place

Homemade with love and lotsa chocolate!!

2011-12-15T21:34:00.000-08:00

The calendar is slipping away on me and it was time to get my homemade gifts done!! I like giving away baking at Christmas time and packaging it up in something pretty. Tonight I tried a new recipe that I found on Pinterest. Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzels. They turned out okay but I found they didn't want to stay together?? The chocolate helped to keep the two pretzels together though. They do taste good and I love chocolate!!

Things just taste better with chocolate!!

The other chocolate treat are called Cuban Lunch

I have been making them for years!

Easy, easy easy!

The bag with the gold bow holds

Mexicali Crunch

Mmmmm,, a nice tall mug of hot chocolate topped off with whipped cream!

How about you, do you have some recipes that always get made in your kitchen.

It is much later than I had thought and it is time to call it a day!

Have a great sleep everyone!!

Linking to:

Farmhouse Friday

Mosaic Monday

2011-12-11T17:46:00.000-08:00

Its been awhile since doing a Mosaic Monday post, so I thought I would share my quick mosaic of my "New Header"....thank you so much to Robin over at, Happy at Home, for sharing such a quick easy tip with me. Hope you will stop by Robin's place to check out whats going on in her corner of blogland. Just create your header using Picnik.....this one worked out fine, so hopefully when I go to change it up again I won't have any problems!!

Merry Christmas from That Country Place

Have a great week everyone!

Can't believe that Christmas is getting so close!

May you take time to get to know the One the angels proclaimed

Good tidings of Great Joy about all those years ago.

Linking to :

Show off your Cottage Monday

5 Minutes Just for Me

Simple Christmas vignette with some childhood memories...

2011-12-10T13:36:00.000-08:00

A number of you saw my post about my bookshelves a few months back. The chairs on the wall got a number of comments, so I thought I would share my little chairs all ready for the holidays!

I am also very excited that with a little help from all you wonderful bloggers out there I figured out how to do a header really easy!! Just made up a collage in Picnik and somehow!! got it on my blog. A tweak here and a tweak there,,,I think it worked pretty good!

This candle with the angels is a small sample of a Christmas pyramid. The Christmas pyramid is a German, Weihnachtspyramide and has its roots in the Erzgebirge (Ore Mountains) of Germany. It is a kind of carousel with several different levels. The spinning motion of the pyramids is traditionally achieved with the help of candles whose rising heat spins a propeller above. I remember one of these at my Grandparents house and it was always fun to watch the candles glow and the little propeller at the top spin around and you would hear a little tinking noise when the angels would touch the little chime.

Well, when Darrell and I were on our honeymoon over 26 years ago, we came across a store on Granville Island in Vancouver that had a whole display of these cute little pyramids. I didn't hesitate to buy one for me and one for my brother as well. I don't know whatever became of Grandpa and Grandma's and it would be so cool to have that one on display....but our little Christmas pyramid ( which has lovingly been named "Tink") is always one of my favorite things to unpack from the Christmas boxes.

Now onto the little golden bird clip that is at the top of the mini Christmas tree. This is one of the few things Darrell has from his Christmas pasts....it is a vintage ornament from his Grandma's. The clip is just barely hanging on, but it lovingly gets put out every year as well. I kinda like the new little spot he is perched from this year.

I love this soft shade of green that sparkles in the candle light.

How about you....do you have some special keepsake ornaments?

Linking to :

The Twelve Days of Christmas

Knick of time Tuesday

"I'll be home for Christmas"

2011-12-04T20:15:00.000-08:00

Candles in the window always make me think of

"I'll be home for Christmas"

How is everyone coming along with Christmas decorating?

I am getting very frustrated trying to take some good pictures of my Christmas tree!

I am not using the flash,,,,but am not getting very good shots! Ughhh

Any tips out there for me!?

Have a great week everyone!

Linking to :

"She said Yes..."

2011-11-29T19:26:00.000-08:00

Well, I have some pictures to post of our big news!! Our son, Kaleb, is engaged!! Jami said yes!! and there is a wedding to plan!! He proposed on November 18th. The happy couple was home this past week end and we had a fun "photo shoot"!! We had some challenges with the windy day, and then some of the shots that we took inside should have had a tripod for....but remember I am not a professional...just learning as I go.

Pretty eyes.....

Some shots in a neat old building...even hauled the Ikea couch along for the photo shoot!

Fun trying different editing in Picnik.

The date is set for May 5th

We are so happy for both of you!

Linking this to:

Turquoise Lovin Party
Farm House Friday
Mantel Party

Kitchen Mantel ready for Winter

2011-11-28T22:54:00.000-08:00

This is the first Christmas with our new kitchen...and I have a mantel to decorate!! Hard to believe that it will soon be a year ago that we tackled our kitchen reno. Here are a few more shots of my "winter decor" that I have in the kitchen. The rest of my Christmas decorating is pretty much complete, so will post some of that later. I know alot of you are busy decorating your homes as well for the holidays. What are some of your special traditions, things your family looks forward to? The other day when I was decorating the tree I was talking to Ben on the phone. He said to be sure to leave his ornament out for him to place on the tree when he gets home.....made me miss him :)

The wreath is a wee bit small, but it was light in weight and I could use

sticky tack to hold it in place. Darrell's first question when he saw the wreath...

"How is that wreath staying there?!!"

The "word" tree was originally gold, but Darrell spray painted it silver for me.

The sparkly reindeer are popular this year I've noticed.

Old jars and insulators make good candle holders...

Darrell and I went to see "Sarah's Key" at the movie theatre tonight. Have any of you read the book? It is a very good book and the movie did not disappoint either! I won't give the story away, but highly recommend it. Funny story at the movie theatre though....we were sitting at the back and 2 young guys we know from Hanna slid in the row ahead of us! They thought there was a different movie playing!! So we gave them a hard time ......they did stay until the end of it and hey..maybe they learnt some history as well! They were standing in line to get in and were wondering why there were so many "older ladies"in line!

Linking to:

Some ~ modern.country.winter~ decor...

2011-11-21T19:28:00.000-08:00

Well, I am not quite ready to decorate for Christmas yet, but I have been drawn to some of the pretty turquoise colors that are out there. I am a pretty traditional Christmas girl, but thought that doing up a few "wintery" things in the kitchen might be fun. So, hope you feel cozy and warm as you stop by my modern country kitchen today :)

A gift certificate from friends for "Home Sense"

came in very handy!!

The silver "JOY" tree was another Winners find..

I bought a white wreath at Michaels and then just added the

Christmas balls and hung it with a ribbon.

How about you? Are you getting the house ready for Christmas yet?!

Happy decorating!

Posting to :

Farm House Friday

Home Sweet Home

Christmas Kitchen Party

Winter has come to the country!

2011-11-18T07:23:00.000-08:00

Its here!! Winter has come to the prairies! We all knew it was comin, but you know how it can still take you by surprise. Time to get the battery in my handiest little gadget ever....the remote controller starter for the car!! Who knew such a tiny little thing could be your best friend when the winter winds want to knock you over!!

These shots were taken from last winter,,,but {they} say its suppose to be another winter with lots of snow!

Have a wonderful week end ladies!!

Stay warm!

Standing Strong....

2011-11-08T19:17:00.000-08:00

Ever have one of those days where you know that you have no other choice but to STAND STRONG. I choose to stand firm in the promise of God's word to me and to trust that it will all work for the best.

This old barn reminds me that through the many seasons it has seen on the open prairie, with wind, rain, and snow, that it still remains upright and strong. Yes, a little weathered, even with a few cracks in the foundation....but still standing. I am glad that my solid, uncracked foundation is the God of everything!!

Psalm 42:11

"But, oh my soul, don't be discouraged. Don't be upset. Expect God to act! For I know that I shall again have plenty of reason to praise Him for all that He will do. He is my Help. He is my God!"

Linking to :

A {Sweet} little photo shoot....

2011-10-31T23:04:00.000-07:00

I attend church with 2 young ladies, and we are all birthday week buddies!! So, last night I was kinda bored and restless,,,so I got to making some brownies for my two birthday week buds. While the brownies were baking, I quickly made some cards for each of them.

Some bakin, some stampin, some rippin, some gluein and before I knew it the evening had flown by!

I used some clear gift wrap, stacked the brownie squares and tied with a pretty ribbon.

Each girl got 2 packs of brownies in a little gift bag. Before I went to work, I delivered them to school and left them at the office where the girls would be called to pick up their special delivery. Isn't it fun to surprise people!! My prayer for K and E, would be that they will have a great year, and that they will truly know the God who made them! He made them very well!! { Happy Birthday}

Linking these cards with abit of turquoise up to

Mosaic Monday Fall colors

2011-10-30T18:37:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted a Mosaic Monday post for awhile, so I put together a collage of a few of my autumn pictures and this is what I came up with.

I kinda like it as black and white too, with a little shot of orange...

I can't believe it is the end of October already.

Wishing you all a great week ahead !

Be sure to stop by the Little Red House to see all the other great pics!

Turquoise lovin Barn Charm...

2011-10-24T19:32:00.000-07:00

Who ever thought I would be able to post on two completely DIFFERENT blog parties with one picture where there is something in COMMON!! Well,, this week it is the Turquoise lovin post over at Sweet Little Gals and Barn Charm over at Bluff Area Daily.

Now, there is alot of turquoise!!

I have never seen a barn this blue!

For the most part this yard looked pretty much abandoned.

The roof sure is good on this little barn though, shame to see it empty.

So, be sure to stop by the other blogs and have a great day!!

Linking to:

Little pumpkin photo shoot...

2011-10-23T21:46:00.000-07:00

It was another beautiful fall day here in the Canadian Badlands. I headed outside with a few props and little pumpkins. Here's what I came up with after having some fun editing in Picnik.

Black and White with the orange painted back in.

I bought a piece of burlap to use for a backdrop....

These are the pumpkins I used on our Thanksgiving Dinner table.....

Just switched up some of the letters

I liked seeing all the white pumpkins in blogland, so I painted

a few of these minis to go along with my white pitcher.

Have a great week everyone!

Happy Fall!!

Linking this to:

Time for Barn Charm

2011-10-17T19:50:00.000-07:00

Its been a little while since I have edited and posted one of my barn pictures. Darrell and I stopped to take pictures of as many interesting barns we could find on our way to Red Deer a few months back. So as I get them edited I will post them to Bluff Area Daily, where you can see other {barn charm} photos.

Some curious critters as I was taking my photo..

Playing with some texture in Picnik

Linking to :

Lotsa scrappin in the country!

2011-10-16T20:11:00.000-07:00

Good scrappin that is! Jacquie, Heather, and Sheila were back for a girls getaway and a week end of scrapbooking. Once again, they moved in with all their {stuff} and took over the breakfast room. I am so glad when we have repeat guests. You can see the wonderful pages these ladies created last time here.

The lights stayed on until after midnite a few nights in a row and you can see that once again they put their memories down on paper with great ideas, colors, sparkles, embellishments and words.

Heather was working on baby day pages

I like how she incorporated her baby card on the page...

Jacquie has three girls who love to pose for the camera...

Sheila has fun teenagers....

Thanks for booking with us ladies.

See you in April, 2012

If you are in the area of the Canadian Badlands and want to book a girls week end

check out www.thatcountryplace.com

We'd love to share our hospitality with you!

Happy Thanksgiving !!

2011-10-10T21:43:00.000-07:00

It has been a good week end here at That Country Place! Both of our college boys were home and of course we enjoyed good food, good company with our dear friends the Andersons, some loud Dutch Blitz games and I was glad to be in church on Sunday to reflect on what I am thankful for.

I had fun getting the table ready for our meal.

Simple place cards...a circle punch, stamp on the initial, and distress the edges.

This peaceful park bench is across the street from work....

The boys were patient enough with me to take time for a "10 minute" photo shoot after church on Sunday. We headed to the museum grounds where I have discovered this awesome blue wall! Love it for a backdrop! and the tin one is fun as well. Everyone was hungry, and Ben wanted to get to the motocross track, so the photo snappin was quick!!

Father and sons..

May your week ahead keep you soaring to new heights!

Have a good one!

Linking up to :

Sweet Shot Tuesdays

Wordless Wednesdays

I have not done a tablescape post before, but will also link this up to

Tablescape Thursday

Found this cool party to link up my favorite blue wall !!

Tourquise Lovin Party

Kitchen Roomspiration Bloghop>

2011-10-07T07:17:00.000-07:00

It is the last day of the Roomspiration Blog hop that has been going on. I shared my craft room and my niece's bedroom makeover in some previous posts, and today it is time for the KITCHEN blog hop. I just love seeing what other people do with kitchen spaces! White and modern country is the taste I think I have FINALLY arrived at!! It can be a process sometimes to find your decorating style, and my hubby doubts me that I will {never} want to change anything in our favorite kitchen space! but I think he is wrong,,,,I absolutely love our new kitchen!!

A little autumn welcome to you...

You can read all about our kitchen reno here....

Before

After

This project really started with the idea to remove the chimney that was no longer needed to give us more space on the wall with the appliances. Every little bit of space helps when you have a small house!

Imagine the breakfast bar in place where the tile and hardwood met, with taking that out and running an island the other way we were able to really open up this part of the house and have the kitchen feel alot bigger as well.

Great plans for this wall!!

After!

Love my pot filler behind the stove top!

Moving the microwave into the island allowed us to do the range hood which is a feature wall of the kitchen now...

There you have it! Our little, but full of character, kitchen.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian friends!

Both of my "college boys" will be home tomorrow !

Have a great week end!

Please be sure to stop by the rest of the kitchens in ROOMSPIRATION at:

DIY Show Off

A fun little photo shoot...

2011-09-28T20:27:00.000-07:00

I had a fun afternoon with four special little people!! and here are the some of the results!

You will probably see these again as I play around with some editing on them.

Sweet little faces!!

I need a name for my photography...any suggestions out there????

Linking to :

Sweet Shot Tuesday.....College Days

2011-09-26T14:00:00.000-07:00

We made a trip out to Caronport to see Ben this week end. I still can't believe that he is away at college!! He relocated to a different dorm this week end and here is a picture of Darrell and Ben making his room feel more like his. The poster behind them is one that Darrell took to HCC in the 80's and then Kaleb took it to RMC in 2007 and here it is once again finding a spot on a college dorm wall.

Miss you Benny, but know that you are where you are suppose to be for this time in your life!

Coming home, we stopped to take a picture of this old house. When we drove by I thought that it had a stone foundation, but it still has some character to it. I like the details above the window. It now sits all alone, empty and forgotten. Looks like it was a nice yellow color at one time.

Had fun editing it in Picnik a little bit...

A picture of me that Darrell took beside an old building at Caronport.

I like the textures of the old siding, it was so bright and hot and sunny that I had to wear shades!

I hope you all have a great week!

Enjoy the cool, crisp days of autumn too.

Pixel Perfect

High Fashion in the Rockies

2011-09-21T22:07:00.000-07:00

When Darrell and I were in Banff this August, we spent some time at the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies. One of the displays was "High Fashion in the Rockies" and displayed an extensive wardrobe collection of Georgie and Eleanor Luxton.

"Who would have thought that Georgina and Eleanor, the Luxton Ladies, would have accumulated finery spanning five decades? Rediscovered in the Eleanor Luxton Historical Foundation collection were dozens of beautiful dresses and divine accessories from 1910 through the 1960's. Purchased by Georgina and Eleanor by mail order from dressmakers or fine shops from Calgary to Toronto, most of these frocks were worn for only one special occasion and then stored carefully away."

Beautiful lingerie....

A great little suitcase as a display..

But how did Eleanor and Georgina learn of the latest fashions?

"Fashion magazines provided access to haute couture far beyond Paris, the seat of fashion. In North America, wearing Paris fashion ensured that others would recognize the wearer's status as a cultivated and wealthy person, perhaps able to travel to Paris, certainly able to afford the best her own locality could provide, be it local cultural life or the best dressmaker in town."

The accessories were beautiful as well as the timeless dresses..

Even in a small moutain town such as Banff, Eleanor and Georgina Luxton had access to the fashions of the world. To learn more about the Luxton Family , be sure to check out the website.

The busy streets of Banff

Eating at our one of our favorite spots Magpie and Stump

It was a fun day learning about some of Alberta's history and Banff royalty.

Roomspiration..the Scrapbook Room

2011-09-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my scrapbook/craft room. It is just a small space underneath the stairwell downstairs, but it is just enough space for me! Great way of practising self control when buying scrapbook supplies, cause if it doesn't have a spot, then it best not be coming in!! It may be a small space but it sure can get messy!! I have spared you those pictures and will show you the clean version!

Red is not my absolute favorite color, but it went along with the rest of the

"man cave"

Wicker storage containers from Ikea, as are the floating shelves

Carrying on with the culvert and medal wall from the man cave...

Some cheap pictures from Walmart and some Wall Talk

The ribbon holders are actually small curtain rods that had magnets on them.

Darrell cut me a piece of tin and the magnets attach to that.

The top of the desk is actually left over flooring and the desk is made

out of 2 file cabinets that were really cheap at Liquidation World

Storage containers from Walmart and Home Hardware

So, thanks for stopping by my scrapbook room. Hope you feel a little bit inspired!

I am also close to being at 100 followers,,,,so hope you will follow along if you aren't already

Linking this to the Roomspiration Blog Hop happening at

Family Brings Joy blog.

Wow Us Wednesdays

Roomspiration Blog Hop and Bedroom Makeover

2011-09-19T06:53:00.000-07:00

There is a fun Roomspiration Blog Hop going on and I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to post the pictures from the Bedroom Makeover I did for my niece, Melissa.

When Darrell and Ben were in Europe in August, I thought I would take a week end and go visit my niece Melissa and her two boys. Melissa and her sweet little family have an amazing story of courage and strength to share .... Melissa's life changed forever when her hubby, Colin, was diagnosed with Burkitts Lymphoma in August of 2009. You can read all about their amazing journey on the blog that Colin and Melissa started when he was first diagnosed. Their story is one of sadness and loss, as Colin did lose his battle to cancer in July of 2010. So, Melissa is now a single mom, who is trusting and leaning on her heavenly Father to carry her through this chapter in her life. She amazes me with her strength, her wisdom, her love and her smile. God is doing great things in her life as she is getting to share her story with others.

She moved into a new home with her two boys to make a fresh start of things. The night I got there, we stayed up late chattin and she told me that she would like me to help her pick out some bedding and help her put her room "together"....well boy oh boy did we have fun!! Her sister in law, Natalie, and friends Christine and Duane were my partners in crime as we told her she could not come upstairs until the big "reveal"!!! So here we go...with the before!!

I think she needed some help!!

These curtains were a real chore to iron!

I think from start to finish was about 8 hours, 2 trips to Walmart, one good trip to Winners, JYSK, Michaels, Tiger Giant, and I had enough "stuff" to try and pull something off for her. Of course, we couldn't paint so went with what we could work with.

Melissa picked out the bedding and we went with this pretty blue color too.

She was so excited to have "matching, grown up lamps..."

I didn't know what to do for a headboard, so an extra pair of curtains

seemed to fill up the space.

The white bench at the end of the bed was a great find at Winners!

Her reaction was priceless !!

The wall "stickers" were under $10 at JYSK

Melissa and her "dream team" :)

There you have it!

Hope you enjoyed our before and after!

Melissa tells me that she is making her bed everyday :)

and when she enters her room it just makes her smile!

That is worth it all!

Love ya!

Posting to:

Metamorphis Monday

DIY by Design

Autumn display for the kitchen

2011-09-18T14:21:00.000-07:00

We are still having great weather here in Alberta. Some places around the province have had frost, but our yard has not had Jack Frost visit yet. I did move the flower crate from the island this morning though and replaced it with something a little more fall like.

Some new candles to make things feel homey...

I have a few of these birds that seem to fit in well with different displays.

I like the colors of autumn and the crispness that is in the air.

I think I may just bake a pumpkin loaf later on today :)

Right now, though, I am headed out to cut the grass one more time this season.....

Thanks for stoppin by my kitchen today, have a great evening!!

Posting this to Metamorphis Monday

Fall Linky Party

Flaunt your Fall

I see that I am sooo close to having 100 followers, so will post one more time to Debbie's Newbie party

over at her interesting site. Check out all the new bloggers that are signing up.

Harvest time on the prairies.

2011-09-14T20:39:00.000-07:00

It is mid September and the fields are busy with combines and grain trucks. The swaths are big and fluffy and the bins should be filled this year!

Barn Charm time again. This barn is right outside the little village of Huxley

Still standing tall on the prairie landscape.

Missing my boys tonight.....love ya!

Sunny days are fading....

2011-09-13T21:28:00.000-07:00

Feels like autumn days are around the corner here in Alberta. It is the middle of September, the days are getting shorter, the combines are busy bringing in the crops, and the air has a little bit of a crispness to it. I love this time of year actually.

Darrell and I went on an overnighter to Red Deer this past week end. Our first week end as empty nesters...that is just too strange to me!! Being empty nesters I mean! No schedule, no hurry, it was a relaxing day. Mocha Moolattes at Dairy Queen are my new favorite drink!!

We stopped to look at a sweet Corvette convertible that was for sale and parked in someones yard. Darrell chatted with the owner about the car and I couldn't help but get a shot of the beautiful sunflowers in the yard!

The light was really good on this beautiful bloom.

Sunflowers are one of my favorite flowers.

Playing around with some editing in Picnik...

Oh...Darrell is still dreaming about the Corvette!!

Linking to :

Its been a looong week!

2011-09-06T19:23:00.000-07:00

Where do I start....this week and a few days have been filled with all kinds of things! Darrell and Ben got back from Europe on Saturday August 27th and Tuesday Aug 30th was a whirlwind of phone calls, getting school marks, laundry and repacking done as Ben reached a decision to attend Briercrest Bible College in Caronport SK. ( 6 hours from home ) We left for school on Saturday and yesterday was my day to leave my baby behind..... So as I type this Darrell and I are officially empty nesters! YIKES how could that be!

Off to college..

He is excited, apprehensive, scared, unsure, glad to be independant, ready to leave home and not ready to leave home.....a whirlwind of emotions! All normal parts of growing up, but it can be hard to watch them go through it all. I love you Benny and you are going to be just fine!! I know God has big plans for you and all you have to do is trust and know that you have great potential!! We are proud of you and the decisions you have had to make this past week. Remember what I told you before I left, "Don't doubt in the dark what God has revealed to you in the light."

My Barn Charm photo for this week was one that I took on a trip to Drumheller. Drumheller is in the heart of the Canadian Badlands and the river valley is very unique. This little red barn is nestled right up along the hillside. I hope you like the edits I did with it.

Little barn in the valley..

Have a great week,,,,I guess what is left of it, everyone!!

Linking this post to:

On the Road Again...

2011-08-29T22:08:00.000-07:00

Our oldest son, Kaleb, is in a band called the Social Threat. The band consists of Wade (vocals and lead guitar), Kyle (vocals and drums) and Kaleb (bass guitar). They are a punk rock genre and have been having fun doing shows in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

A couple week ends ago, I was travelling east to Medicine Hat and the band was on the road travelling west to Calgary. My sweet shot for this week is one that I took while driving.... yes, I have to admit I was driving...but I did not cause an accident or anything :) I put the camera on sports mode, held it up to the window and kept looking down the "divided hiway" for any sign of the big white van cruisin down the road. While staying on the road, I took a chance with the click of the button to capture the band in motion!

The composition is not too bad,,,what do you think?

Here's the unedited version for the "Before an After" blog hop over at Pixel Perfect...

Before and After Blog Hop

Thanks for stopping by everyone!

Have a great week....

Summer Lovin Party over at Sarah's

2011-08-24T05:47:00.000-07:00

Sarah, from Modern Country Style, has been excited about hosting another party. This one is Summer Loving. The front of the BnB is one of my favorite summer spots and I call it my "town yard"... easy to maintain, the grass can be cut in about 10 minutes with a push mower,,,unlike the rest of the yard which takes about 3-4hrs on the riding mower..., and it offers our guests a quiet spot to enjoy the peacefulness of the country.

A quiet place to read your favorite book,,,

What would summer be without some flowers to make it even brighter....

Our business sign, painted by a local artist.

Of course, what would summer be without having friends over for a BBQ. Homemade hamburgers with buns from the bake shop and topped with all the fixins. mmmm...

Hope you are all having a great summer!!

and be sure to stop over at Sarah's to see all the

SUMMER LOVIN posts.

Stoppin by the General Store

2011-08-23T20:41:00.000-07:00

I was in Drumheller a few weeks back and stopped to visit my friend Leanne at her business, The General Store. It is a quaint little shop filled with country accessories, whimsical gifts, and primitive country finds. Leanne and I became friends when I first opened That Country Place back in 1995. She was a stay at home mom who loved making crafts and enjoyed all things country. It has been fun to watch her expand her interests by opening a little General Store. I am glad that business brought us together and that after all these years we have a friendship that was the bonus of getting to know one another.

Primitive dolls, pictures and candles may be on your list...

Small pieces of furniture,just right for that extra country touch.

Kitchen accessories....

Pumpkins.... great for your fall decorating.

Candles in all shapes, scents and colors...

Hope you enjoyed a quick tour around the General Store!

Have a great evening and thanks for stopping by the country.

Gettin ready for Barn Charm...

2011-08-19T06:53:00.000-07:00

Its the week end again! Wishing you all a great one! I have a number of barn photos to get ready for a photo party I have found called "Barn Charm".

Here is one that I edited real quick this morning, using Picnik.

Here is the original picture:

I wonder what kind of stories these old places could tell??

Don't you wonder.....

Have a great week end everyone!!

Sharing some of the "man cave" part of our house.....

2011-08-15T22:56:00.000-07:00

I was busy doing some ironing for the BnB early this morning,,,,down in the basement. I dislike ironing quite a lot actually. I was also missing Ben a little bit and got tidying up his room and thought I would get everything all freshened up for when he comes home from Europe. Its a rainy evening, so I got completely sidetracked and decided to keep tidying up the basement and take some photos for my blog...

So, welcome to the guy's spot in our house!

I don't have any before pictures,,,but just imagine a 1980's basement with odds n ends furniture, brown carpet, wall panelling and I think you will get a good visual! The boys (reno babies as I call them :) ) had lots of good ideas for their space. Open ceiling painted black, using tin on the walls....

A metal culvert hides the support post at the end of the stairs.

I think that was Darrell's idea :)

Grey, red and black was the color choice. The clock hangs on the chimney bricks.

IKEA , Ikea, everywhere!!

My scrapbook corner (under the stairwell) is behind the curtains.

Framed pictures of Ben from motocross races.

Art projects and puzzles make up the art work.

And of course guys must have big screens...

Kaleb's drawing of a engine block...I think :)

The metal wall with "Magnetic Poetry"

and some of the stuff they came up with???

Cartoon drawings of the boys when we were in Disneyland..

that seems like along time ago now.

I have given Darrell a puzzle for Christmas for many years now.

Found this fun puzzle series and they have become great wall art.

See any favorite shows you remember...

How about your favorite Rock n Roll group

60's could be fun...

Taking a break from the kitchen reno in January and putting puzzles together.

With Kaleb living on his own in Medicine Hat now, Ben has the

basement to himself pretty much....

Just a peak into his room, since he's not here to ask permission

to photograph his room :)

A few of Ben's prize possessions from hockey, motocross and archery.

A real boys room.

Wow...it is 11:45 pm. Time to call it a day! I will post a few more pictures tomorrow. This picture of Ben's tube of toothpaste is an indication of how "messy" a guys bathroom can get!!!! Stay tuned for the cleaned up version of the bathroom!! Too late to tackle that one now.

YIKES..is all I can say!!

Posting to:

Motivate me Monday

Delightfully Inspiring Thursday

Inspiration Friday

Show and Share Day

Linking as well to Sarah over at

Cozy.Cottage.Cute

where she is doing a give away, check it out.

Sarah has a great little blog, so follow along!!

Monday on the horizon

2011-08-14T20:21:00.000-07:00

Another summer week end behind us. I am not ready for the summer days to be over. We have enjoyed entertaining on the decks, fires in the outside room, the windows wide open, the frogs croaking, and the summer list could go on.

This is Ruth, my dearest friend!

We enjoyed a nice supper served on the deck tonight.

Spinach salad, flatbread pizza with bbq sauce, chicken, peppers, spinach

Delicious!!

Our plates were almost too big for the table!!

They are from Ikea,,,,,

We had a good visit, getting caught up on each others lives.

Time to call it a day. I think I will curl up in bed and try to get my book finished that seems to have been on my nightstand forever...almost done!! Have a great week everyone!

The morning sky:

Monday, August 15,2011

7:15ish am

"This is the day the Lord hath made..."

"Sieze the Day"

Some new favorite things

2011-08-13T19:04:00.000-07:00

I was able to get to Ikea, HomeSense and an antique store over the past few weeks. Ikea and HomeSense are my favorite and to add an antique store in there where I actually found something was a bonus!

My favorite find at the antique store was this cheese crate. I like it even more because it was used for Canadian cheese!! I have it displayed in our entry with a few other crocks and things...

Isn't she a beauty!

My other 2 favorite things are from HomeSense. The cute little white crate with "Flowers" on it was on ly $9.99. Add a few "fake" plants from Ikea or a few fresh flowers from the garden and I like it!!

Two looks for the price of one...English or French

Flowers from my yard,,,,

These little pots with the sayings and grasses will look nice at the BnB perhaps..

Well ya gotta have faith....

I better get going outside, it is another beautiful evening and I have some plants to deadhead...

Maybe a bike ride down the lane would be a great way to end the day as well.

Hope you are all having a great week end.

Linking up to Decor to Adore

Whats is your favorite "app"

2011-08-12T08:53:00.000-07:00

I got an IPAD!!

What is your favorite "app"

What a crazy techie world we live in! Just finished my 3rd call to Telus trying to get this little device all ready to go... I think I am finally in business. This was my purchase a few weeks back and here I am in Banff looking up accommodation for the rest of our little getaway that Darrell and I had.

It is a handy little gadget, and once I am onto how to use it I think it will be great! We do not have IPhones so I will learn on my IPad. I have my likes and dislikes for this technological world we live in. I have learned how to text my teenagers and it is a great way to always send them a little "I am thinking of you note" any time of day!!

So, tell me..do you have an Ipad and what do I need to know!! Any favorite apps that you just can't live without! Have a great day everyone!

"If you're not from the prairie..."

2011-08-07T21:33:00.000-07:00

Today was a cloudy, windy day on the prairies. Our church was having a camping week end at Plover Lake Bible Camp. The camp is located right in the middle of the prairies! I don't know if there is a tree around!! Lots of kids have had great memories of time spent at this camp though.

We were doing clean up after a great lunch and I happened to look out one of the windows of the kitchen. I saw the clothesline, and I got a photo idea!! I grabbed a handful of wet tea towels and headed out the door in the wind with my camera in hand. It took me a few minutes to even get the towels on the line as the wind was whipping them every which way. I stepped back to see how things looked and decided I better set my camera on sports mode!!

My Mosaic Monday post is an edited collage of clothesline pictures. While I was editing them I thought they looked a bit like some photos from my favorite "prairie" books writtten by David Bouchard and illustrated by Henry Ripplinger.

"If You're Not from the Prairie..."

"Prairie Born"

One of the rooms in our BnB has a trio of some "prairie shots" I have taken. I placed them over the headboard and then have "Prairie Born" below them in wall talk. You can visit our website to see our bedrooms at the BnB. I also ordered some pictures from Dave Bouchard's book and have them in a grouping on one of the walls as well.

While operating the gift store, I had guests that were born on the prairies sign a favorite page from the "Prairie Born" book. It provided some interesting reading.... I wish I could say that was my great idea to do that, but a fellow gift store owner came up with the idea first and I liked it so much that I did it at our store :)

So I will end today's post with a quote from "If You're Not from the Prairies" as well as

my windy day collage.

"If you're not from the prairie,

You don't know the wind,

You can't know the wind.

Our cold winds of winter cut right to the core,

Hot summer wind devils can blow down the door.

As children we know when we play any game,

The wind will be there, yet we play just the same.

If you're not from the prairie,

You don't know the wind."

Be sure to check out all the other great Mosaic Monday entries.

Have a great week everyone!

Oh! Almost forgot,,,I was born in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan

Raised on the prairies in Saskatchewan and

have called Alberta home now for 26 years.

How about you...where were you born?

Linking to :

Delightfully Inspiring Thursday

Photo Story Friday

Fabulous Friday

Garden gate vingette

2011-08-06T22:03:00.000-07:00

Remember the metal garden gate I got earlier this summer at the second hand store?

I finished up a little project this past week and found a spot for it in one of the tree beds. With having basically two yards, our yard and the bnb yard, there is always a project on the go, or weeding to do, watering.....

I started by moving 2 spiaria plants from the tree bed just off of our "outside room" to a tree bed that we have when you come into the yard by the BnB. The plants had gotten too big for the spot they were in, and I wanted to balance things a little better with the wooden flower planter.

I always forget to take "before" pics..just imagine 2 spiaria plants in the empty space :)

I left one of them,,,,off to the left.

I couldn't dig the gate into the ground to secure it too well as the Mayday tree roots were in the way.....so MORE prairie rocks to the rescue! I have hauled, moved, stacked and dropped so many rocks into this yard! For some reason as I am getting older my back is feeling it too!! I kinda like how the rock foundation turned out though. I guess we will see how the gate stands up once we get a good ole prairie wind storm.

I don't have much of a green thumb,,, but some of my flowers are doing okay.

So glad I found a spot to enjoy my garden gate!

How about you,,,have you made any changes to your garden this summer?

Have a great week end!

My favorite shot from the past few days..

2011-07-31T23:25:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!! Again, the week has gone by fast for me! I have enjoyed reading a bit of everyone else's posts, so thought before I call it a day I would try to get some blogging done!

We got Ben off to Sweden on Thursday. This is a big step for him!! He travelled alone for starters!! Had to transfer planes in Amsterdam and landed in Gothenburg Sweden where he was greeted by a complete stranger and taken to Roonang where he will be helping with Hockey Ministries International. He will be a counsellor, on ice helper,,,wherever needed with helping at 2 hockey camps in Sweden. He has sent a few messages on facebook, and he is a little bit homesick. I am praying that with camp starting today, he was able to get busy, keep his mind off of things and have a good day. Oh,,this will be a stretch for him, but I am super proud of him for venturing 1/2 way across the world!! He will be meeting up with Darrell and Grandpa Florian in Zurich on Aug 13th. and then the 3 of them will do some more travelling in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. Miss you bud!!

A quick shot of Ben with all his stuff! He was nervous and didn't want me taking his picture!
How can you tell....

Well, after we said goodbye to Ben, Darrell and I thought we would try a last minute, spontaneous "stop at a ticket counter"and see where we could fly last minute!! Darrell was in line at Air Canada and I was in line at WestJet. Victoria, Portland, Seattle,,,,,,,all wayyy to expensive last minute for us and the August long week end didn't help either. I guess next time we will plan to book in on a seat sale!!

So,,, we headed west to the Rocky Mountains!

Entering Banff National Park

And decided to stay a couple of days in the town of Banff.

I will end my post today with a couple of shots from a guided tour we took of some of the early homes in Banff. The pictures below are from the Moore cabin. More info to follow on our museum tour...

I really like the "Hudson Bay" curtains and the true mountain cabin feeling in this home.

Favorite two shots below.

Of course, we were restricted a bit where we could go in the cabin and it was a little dark.

As soon as I saw the light streaming in the window though, I knew I could probably get a nice

shot and with some editing it would turn out like I had hoped.

Posting to Mosaic Monday:

Have a great week everyone!!

Also linking to :

Debbie is still hosting her "newbie party" so hop on over and have a look!

I am still hoping to have 100 followers, so hope you will follow along.

Mosaic Monday...

2011-07-24T21:42:00.000-07:00

It has been another busy week of work, doing yard work, BnB guests, a trip to Medicine Hat to see Kaleb, and here it is another Monday just around the corner. You know I love Mondays though, as that means it is time for another Mosaic Monday post.

It seemed that my peony bush bloomed so quickly this year. We had a couple of hotter days and just like that it was starting to drop its pretty petals. Usually I have atleast one arrangement sitting on the kitchen counter from it. Glad I got the camera out in time to capture its beauty... hope you enjoy it too.

Have a great week everyone! and don't forget to head over to Mary's to see the other Mosaic Monday posts.

One crazy prairie storm...and getting somewhat caught up.

2011-07-19T21:49:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!! There is one wicked storm brewing this evening. We have had pouring rain, a bit of hail, wind and more rain. I am finally finding myself in front of the computer . Other than checking quick emails and making a few comments on some of your blogs, I have been busy this past week. I am finally done working my fulltime "fill in" shifts at work and am back to my glorious 10-2 shift!! We have had a busy week and a bit of BnB guests. Holland, Switzerland, Edmonton, Moose Jaw are some of the places people have been visiting from. I enjoy that about our BnB, meeting people from other places.

The Santo family from Switzerland.

Their comments from our guest book at the BnB

"Dear Darrell and Dawna, we thanks you so much for your warmhearted hospitality! Your house is very beautifully furnished, we are very impressed. A lot of details, and are all in the right place. The flowers this morning were wonderful and the breakfast, dear Dawna, was very fine. Thanks so much for all. I hope we can come back in a few years. We wish you all the best If you are in Switzerland one day, you are very invited, to visit us."

It really is a small world, and in about a months time, Darrell and Ben will be in Switzerland and do plan on visiting the Santo family!! Ben leaves for Sweden on July 28th...he is going with Hockey Ministries International and will be helping with on ice coaching and counselling at 2 hockey camps in Sweden. Then on Aug 13th, he will meet up with his dad and grandpa in Zurich for another 2 weeks of seeing where Grandpa Florian was born and spent his early childhood. They will have quite the adventure!! Turns out that the Santo family's farming operation is only about 1 hour from where Darrell, Ben and Florian will be ! Ben will be travelling on his own to Sweden, so I know I will be a little bit anxious next week...you can say a prayer for me!! I am glad that he and I travelled to Europe last spring with the school trip, atleast he will know a little bit of what to expect with international travel.

Ben getting on the airplane to come home from Frankfurt last April

Can't believe it is time to let them spread their wings more!!

We finally have had some really hot weather here on the prairies!! On Saturday, after getting breakfast done for a full house at the BnB and getting all the rooms made up for the next group of people, I decided to sit in the sun for awhile, sip some iced tea and read my book!!

Same picture edited in Picnik

I decided to even let the watering can sit for a few hours....

Here is the same picture after doing some editing in Picnik.

Sunday evening and Monday my parents, aunt and uncle, and my moms first cousin and his wife were here. We enjoyed sitting on the decks, looking at photo albums and visiting.

My mom, Ben and cousin Donna

My dad, enjoying some ice cream on a hot day!

My Aunt Kathy and Uncle Alvin

Where has the time gone,,,,glad we have photos to remember them by!

Some interesting clouds in the prairie sky!

Have a great week everyone and thanks for stopping by the country!

I will try to get caught up on my blog reading soon!!

Its another Monday!!

2011-07-10T19:10:00.000-07:00

These old buckets look so cool on this fence made of old lumber. I shot this picture in my good friend, Sharalynn's, yard. About a week later a hail storm came through their farmyard and lets just say the buckets have a few more dents and the flowers don't look quite as perky anymore! But, the good thing is even when we are beaten down, we have another opportunity to keep reaching for the sunshine in our lives, get up and keep going!

Wishing you all a great week ahead! We have a busy one, with bnb guests, bbq planned, working extra hours at the bank to help cover for a co worker on holidays, and some of my family will be here on the week end too. Where is the summer going!! Please slow down!

Posting to my favorite Monday site..

Gold on the Prairies!

2011-07-09T23:29:00.000-07:00

I had a great drive to Red Deer today. The small community we live in has a population of 3000. We are about 2 hours to Calgary, or Red Deer or just a little over 2.5 hours to Med Hat. We can get most everything right here in our little town,,,but what girl doesn't like a day of shopping! Although, I wasn't in the city for long...I am a very quick shopper!!

Anyways, the weather was windy and stormy this morning when I left. I put my camera in the car, a habit I am trying to get into. I was glad I did, as the fields of canola are in full bloom and there is nothing quite like seeing the prairie bursting in yellow. I stopped to shoot a little barn that is surrounded by canola. The landowner cleared some old carraganas from the field, but left the barn! I see that a piece of it was removed, but for the barn was left intact. I guess he knew I would be needing a subject!! I have also shot this barn in the winter. Quite a difference when the prairie is full of color.

Cloudy skies this morning...

Coming home late afternoon, the sun was trying to make an appearance..

So, I pulled off the road again to shoot the barn with some different light.

Those are the Handhills in the background.

Don't you just love the wide open spaces !!

No traffic jams, no long lines, just peace and quiet.....

The only thing I dislike about coming home from a day of shopping is unloading the car and putting everything away! I wanted some new summer clothes for work and found some great sales today!! and of course found a few good items at Homesense. After getting home, I went for a good hour walk and think I am ready to call it a day!

Thanks for stopping by the country!

Posting to Photo Friday

Mellow Yellow Monday

Project Aliciawww.projectalicia.com

Barn Charm

2011-07-05T22:16:00.000-07:00

I love old barns...the colors, the shapes, the old wood. One thing I am finding out in blogland is that there seems to be a blog for everything! I found this interesting site "Barn Charm" where you can post all your favorite barn pictures! I hope you will enjoy it too, be sure to check it out!

This is an old barn at Darrell's cousins place. I like how there is just a little bit of red coloring left under the eaves where the sun has not hit it as much.

Thanks for stoppin by the country!

Great CANADA Day long week end!

2011-07-03T22:22:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy, but fun long week end here at That Country Place. It all started on Thursday when I took some grad pictures for a close friend...she is such a lovely young lady and photographing her was fun. We beat the rain clouds , and did our fair share of swattin mosquitoes! I think we captured a few though.

Friday we had friends visit us from Medicine Hat...it was a last minute invite and they enjoyed cruising to our place with the top down on their Corvette. A great steak supper, relaxing on the deck and catching up with friends was perfect!! We enjoyed a fireworks display over Fox Lake to celebrate Canada Day as well.

Saturday was absolutely gorgeous weather!! I enjoyed spending time in the yard, took some BnB bookwork out onto the deck, and watched the yellow finches we have in the yard. Then we were off to the little town of Rosebud, AB for "Jake and the Kid". A dinner theatre show. Rosebud is just a sleepy little village, but is very well known for the Rosebud School of the Arts. The village comes to life for the days of the performances and then as quickly as the crowds came in for the show, they leave. We have enjoyed going to a number of shows on the OperaHouse stage. We went with great friends, and Kaleb and Jami met us from Med Hat as well. Great food, good company and great entertainment rounded out the week end.

Of course it is Monday again,,,so am posting this to my favorite Monday spot Mosaic Monday

A very Happy 4th of July to all my American blog friends I have met!!

Enjoy your week everyone!

www.sweetlittlegals.com

Magazine CopyCat Party

2011-06-30T19:50:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Debbie for hosting this great party!! I think it is a fun idea and will turn out to be very inspirational for all of us DIYers!!

"Style at Home" has given me alot of inspiration!

It is one of my favorite magazines

Our living room had one very blank wall!! It just lacked some structure and detail. I was sitting on the couch directly looking at the "blank,boring wall.... .when this picture just hit me like a ton of bricks!!

"We could do this, I thought to myself!!

The wall is just about the same size as the wall I am staring at!

Have always wanted a fireplace,, and the little windows would bring

more light into the living room....hmmm wonder what Darrell would say?"

Well after measuring and seeing how similar the floor plan in the magazine was to our living room, we got to work! The little windows were ordered, we started looking for a fireplace and I began to dream about having a mantel to decorate at Christmas time!! Sorry, I don't have a very good "before" picture, but just imagine a flat wall of "nothingness".......

Here is our copycat result!!

Looking in from the dining room.

Oh..the TV is now a flatscreen that is receased and hides behind the mirror!

Most times the mirror is off the wall,,,but it gives me a good option

when I don't want to see the TV.

Cupboard to hold photo albums and games..

This little jelly cupboard is one of my favorite pieces.

This book shelf is on the opposite wall of the fireplace, behind the couch.

You can visit this previous post that shows a small fix up on the bookcase...

A little chair hung on the wall makes a great shelf..

There you have it...thanks for stoppin by my living room.

Put your feet up and come back anytime!

White pitchers are one of my all time favorites!

Posting to Debbie's Magazine Copycat Party

Tuesday Confessional Party

Inspiration Friday

View along the Way

Wordless Wednesday

2011-06-28T23:46:00.000-07:00

Summertime fun playing with bubbles...

Mother nature has been doing her thing! Bees buzzin and pollinating the flowers...this one sure liked the blossoms on my Miss Canada lilac. Enjoy the country today :)

Have a great week everyone!

Linking to

Getting ready for a copycat post!!

2011-06-26T19:10:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been another rainy, cold week end here in Alberta.....is summer going to come, before it is over!!?? I have been busy at the BnB though, and got the laundry room all cleaned up....oh, that was yesterday, I now have a new batch of linens from the BnB to do today!! Laundry. Have to say it is not my favorite!

I am getting ready to post to Debbie's CopyCat Party on July 1st. Check out her blog to see what it is all about, should be fun! So, I won't reveal all of my copycat project, but it involves the living room. Since I was busy taking numerous "get it right" kind of pictures I thought I could post a few from my living room.

So, come on in to the living room..

This little corner got a makeover when we redid the kitchen

Now, I have some nice display shelves.

I sometimes forget to take the "before" pictures !! So here, I was almost done with putting items on the shelves when I remembered. These shelves are just form IKEA, nothing special. Darrell put a crown moulding on the top to dress them up, easy little dress up trick. We've had these bookcases for a number of years and once I got them home, I didn't really like that awkward middled part!! We obviously have a pathetic CD collection, cause we can't fill it up! It just kinda sat there with nothing in it. So, it needed some help!

Until we had an "idea"....

Why not cover it up!! Like it wasn't even there in the first place!

Thanks Darrell!!

The little chair on the wall was one that Darrell found at the dump a long time ago! When we re did the kitchen the little corner that it sat in was taken out. I didn't want to part with it, so thought why not put it on the wall! It serves as a little shelf and stacks nicely in line with some chairs we took out of the house that we flipped.

Shelves to display my love for white jugs, blue glass, books...

A little picture of Darrell. This was the first picture I saw of him, it was in my

brother's yearbook from Hillcrest Christian College, and I thought, "Hmmmm,,,what a handsome guy!"

So, thats what I have been up to on this rainy week end. Hope you all have a great week and thanks for stopping by the country! I am trying to break 100 followers, so if you haven't signed up to follow along, please do. :)

Motivate Me Monday

The DIY Show Off

WOW us Wednesday

Flaunt it Friday

Kitchen Party!

2011-06-23T07:19:00.000-07:00

Well I have had this post started for awhile now, but with Sarah having the perfect Kitchen Party over at her place, Modern Country Style, I thought today would be the perfect day to get this posted to you. I am also posting to Debbie's Newbie Party. I am getting close to 100 followers and Debbie hosts a party for new bloggers to meet one another. Pop on over and give her a visit. She is also going to be hosting another exciting party on July 1st. ... aren't you curious now! Check it out!

Demo started back in January and the goal was to take out the chimney to give us a some more wall space. I really wanted to have the stove and fridge wall as a feature wall as it is the first part of the kitchen you see when you come in from the entry. Definately wanted to get rid of the microwave over the stove and have the microwave built into the island instead.

This bank of cupboards served as a breakfast bar and gave the feeling of a hallway where the stools were. We thought with taking out the chimney and removing that little bit of wall it would open up the kitchen a lot.

Before

Making progress

Let's see...dreams for my feature wall would include: slide in range, pot filler, decorative range hood with a shelf, and subway tiles.........

How did we do! I love, love, love this wall now! All up to date and modern country!

This side of the kitchen didn't change a whole lot, the layout of cupboards and where the dishwasher was stayed the same. A new industrial sink and faucet are the special newcomers! I never in a million years thought I would have granite countertops...Darrell pulled out all the stops on that one! I guess one good thing about having a small kitchen. Those countertops sure shine!!

Before:

After:

Taking out the corner shelves by the window makes it feel more open and gives cleaner lines. I think the pictures and the little shelf help fill the space. Last minute Darrell used up leftover moulding and created two little corner shelves off the end of the cupboard.

I love the range hood area and can't wait to decorate it for different seasons

We put the microwave in the island.

Love, love the island :)

The office is just off the kitchen.

The office used to be the boys bedroom.

The dining room is off the other side of the kitchen.

We thought about taking out the walls between the kitchen

and dining room,,,I am glad we didn't

There you have it!! It is small, but has everything I need and a

few extras that give it some wow factor!

Thanks for stopping by...as you can see there were too many things to just list my favorite thing in my kitchen. I guess my all time favorite would have to be my hubby!! He makes all our "big ideas" a reality and I love him!!! I find him in the kitchen a little bit more too these days, he is happy with the results.

I am linking this to :

DIY Showoff

Modern Country Style

Finger Prints on the Fridge

Flaunt it Friday

Things I'm Loving

Saturday Nite Special

Newbie Party

Sizzle into Summer

The heavens declare the glory of God...

2011-06-22T20:46:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things about the prairies is the SKY!! It is so big and expansive here. You can see a storm coming from miles away, the clouds can be puffy like marshmellows, the blue as blue can be....
Our God is awesome in His creation and if we wouldn't praise Him for all His works the rocks and stones would cry out and do it for us!

I hope you will enjoy the ever changing skies I saw today...the first day of summer on the prairies was a good one!

June 22, 2011

Finally got the pictures to post...I gave up last night and called it a day.

There was thunder, but no rain to speak of last night..

The daisies are starting to show their cheery blooms.

Today is our 26th wedding anniversary!

We enjoyed a bbq on the deck,

a walk in town and some ice cream...

Darrell had these beautiful flowers delivered to me at work!

Thanks Hon!

xoxo

Posting to Sky Watch Friday

Photo Collage and Purple Blossoms

2011-06-20T15:25:00.000-07:00

It has been a cool, rainy week end, so I haven't really been out in the garden or anything. So, for Mosaic Monday, I thought I would post some more of my lovely lilacs! I was messing around with some editing in Picnik and this is what I came up with... enjoy! and be sure to check out the other great mosaics at Mary's Dear Little Red House.

There are still 3 different variety lilac bushes in our yard that are just about ready to bloom...

I actually saw a cedar waxwing in the yard yesterday! I got so excited, I probably scared him away. I really hope he comes back though...

The peonies are soon ready to show their colors, and I think I will have lots of daisies too !

Here's hoping for some sunshine this week...we really haven't had any hot weather yet.

Wishing you all a great week and don't forget to stop and smell the flowers! I have found some more photo linky parties to link to,be sure to check them out!

A great day for a picnic...

2011-06-15T16:46:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday was our church picnic. It turned out to be a great sunny day..and I had my camera ready for some summertime shots.

We have been blessed with rain, and with the rain comes puddles, and what do you think happens when you put kids and puddles together!!! You know that someone is going to get wet!!

and did they ever!!

These two little girls were so cautious as they went to the edge to check things out...

Barefoot and carefree..the way summer should be!

The ice cream was a hit...

as was the bubble machine

One little boy took time to check out some of God's wonderful creation!

There was visiting to do...

and of course the food was a hit!! (gotcha C!!)

It was a great day of spending time with my church family and being thankful for a day of summer...

Have a great day everyone! and thanks for stopping by the country.

Now I am off to see if the Vancouver Canucks can bring home the Stanley Cup!!

Photo Story Friday