Monday, September 17, 2018

Summer Memories


Hello, Dear Friends, I have missed you! 

I am back from my busy summer vacation! 
I have many lovely memories and I enjoyed 
every one, but time seems to be hurrying along
without me and I am perpetually lagging behind. 

I've decided that lagging behind is really not all that bad. 
It's actually a nice vantage point. You get to watch all 
the activity for a little while longer. 

I am not one to race ahead. I like to savor my time, 
enjoying it in the moment and then thinking 
about things later. 

That way, I get to enjoy it twice. 
xoxo


Anyway, that's my excuse...... :)

So, while I ponder all those sweet summer moments, 
I'll share a few with you here. 

We all know that life is not always sweet, and we must
deal with many bitter challenges, but it is always 
worth seeking those special moments that lift us up, 
to hold highest in our thoughts, to help carry us 
through those difficult times. 

xoxo



Summer, here in the foothills of western Washington State
was very dry and unusually hot. Forest fires raged above us 
in British Columbia, Canada, below us in northern California 
and Oregon, and beside us in the mountains to the east. 

We were shrouded in perpetual smoke at times, especially when 
the air was hot and still. We were, at one time, listed as having the worst 
air quality in the world. 

My goodness. 

I certainly cannot complain because there was loss of life, homes, 
livelihood, and many millions of acres of wild lands. 
My heart breaks for all who have lost so much 
and I am also in awe of all the brave men and woman 
who put their lives on the line during disasters and crises. 

They are the true heroes of this world. 


On clear and cooler days, we worked on repairing 
and painting the deck. 


My little grandson sits on the antique baby crib/bench
that I found at a flea-market, before painting and 
adding new cushions.

It was so heavy that it sat in the driveway for weeks 
before my son's helped carry it up onto the deck 
during a family visit. 

It clearly needed some love.....



Here are the results. 
I used outdoor fabric from Here to make the cushions 
and mattress cover. 



They even have zippers so that I can remove them for washing.
(I'm pretty proud of myself :) 
I've never sewn with outdoor fabric, but it went well, 
even with my very basic, 25 year old Kenmore sewing machine. 



Here is the finished deck. 

I was very glad to get that project done! 
Ever since, my knees have not been the same. 




Meanwhile, we celebrated the wedding of my daughter, Jennie
and her beloved, Steve. 
It was a beautiful day, and I will share more in a separate post. 


Ramblin' Man's brother, wife, their daughter, son-in-law, 
and precious little one, flew all the way 
out from New England to attend. 

It was the first time we met this little angel, 
who is my grand-niece. 
She was not feeling well here. 
Poor little thing had to visit the emergency room 
for a double ear infection while visiting. 
I am happy to report she recovered quickly 
with no lasting effects. 

The family keeps growing......






In between, we enjoyed all that summer had to offer. 




Including the grandchildren. 

xoxo


And then we went to Italy.  

We have been home just a week, and I am still trying 
to process how amazing it all was. 

All of my dreams take place in Italy, now! 

The trip was in celebration of my son's 40th birthday. 
He and his sweet wife, Erica arranged the whole thing.....
I can't convey my gratitude. 
And the immense pride I feel towards my son. 
He has lived his life with integrity, honor, 
compassion, accomplishment, and generosity. 
xoxo

But I will leave Italy for another time, as I have 
much to catch up on. 

I look forward to catching up with all of you! 

xoxo







33 comments:

  1. I love summer memories. So sorry you have had to deal with the smoke and fires in your part of the world. Weather has gone crazy, people too. Love the slip covers and your littles are adorable!

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  2. You've had a mega summer - we've missed you Karen! Wow a wonderful wedding, a super Italian holiday and the stunning transformation of the day bed … that's quite some come back post, loved it and can't wait to hear more about the wedding and Italy later!
    Wren x

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  3. You are good to slow a bit and cherish each moment. It goes by fast enough as it is!! I so look forward to hearing about your trip and seeing all the photos! Also eager to see the wedding photos. I had an outdoor wedding as well. Unfortunately it was back in 1976 before digital and the photographer forgot to put film in his cameras! Only photos I have were taken by friends and relatives. I love seeing wedding photos.

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  4. A very warm welcome back Karen :)

    What a lovely post, your deck looks amazing, the wedding looks amazing, and an Italian holiday too :)

    So nice to see all of your photographs here, and look forward to more in the coming weeks.

    Enjoy the month of September.

    All the best Jan

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  5. Wow, what a full and wonderful summer you have had.

    Looking forward to more posts about everything.

    FlowerLady

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  6. Oh my it looks like you had a wonderful summer. I am sorry you had to deal with all that smoke but I am so glad to hear that you and your home was safe through it all. Your grandbabies are all so sweet! Look forward to your next posts!

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  7. Hi!I miss you!Adorable post as ever!Great job,your deck is gorgeous.Cute Grands!Hugs!

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  8. Oh Wow.....Italy! How simply amazing! I can just imagine the idyllic time you had while you were holidaying there. How precious to spend gorgeous moments with your son and his wife....memories that you will hide in your heart forever. Love that little crib bed. Such a fabulous makeover and those green and white check cushions and mattress; just beautiful. It must be nice to have the deck all sparkling new again; what a huge job. I am so happy to visit your lovely place once more, I have missed you, lovely Karen.♥

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  9. So happy to catch up with you! Where to start? I just LOVE your crib makeover and the green check fabric you carried throughout your deck....just perfect. Your grandchildren are adorable. Isn't is kind of bittersweet to see them grow too fast? Looking forward to the wedding post and the Italy post. We are trying to get back there after 22 years....we went on our honeymoon and anticipate our next trip. I would love to see where you visited. So happy to have you back in blogland!

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  10. Lovely to have you back. Sounds like an amazing summer despite those fires. Gorgeous family photos and I love your outdoor crib remake. Clever you. Looking forward to hearing about Italy. B x

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  11. What a summer you've had, Karen! it was so nice to catch up with you and seeing glimpses of what you will share in the future. Your crib re-do turned out beautifully, too. Congratulations to Jennie and Steve!! xx

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  12. So nice to see you back, Karen! I'm glad you took the time to really be in the moment and enjoy all of your special times...lots of wonderful going on in your family! It probably will take a while to get back to your normal routine after your beautiful trip! So glad the fires weren't near your home!

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  13. Oh, Karen, it is so nice that you are back but it sounds like you had the best summer ever. What a fabulous trip and I love the description you gave of your son. We are so lucky when we have those kinds of people in our lives. Your deck is beautiful. Your sewing skills are wonderful and the colors against your views are just perfect. You did the summer proud! xxoJudy

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  14. so nice to see you today...i checked on you just the other day as i was missing you!! the deck looks wonderful, so nice to have done much of the work yourself!!

    it sounds like you had a wonderful summer, the family looks great!!

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  15. Sweet, sweet Karen, what an incredible and enchanting summer you had! Oh, a trip to Italy...excuse me a moment while I swoon! I can't wait to see and hear more about your daughter's wedding - what a special day that must have been. And I can't believe how much your grandchildren have grown! They are precious.

    I have missed you, dear friend, and I'm so glad you're back. Wishing you a lovely evening. Hugs!

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  16. Welcome back, Karen. It's nice to take a break for awhile, isn't it? The antique crib/bench is so charming, and I like the green fabric you chose. You did a great job on it. Congratulations on your daughter's wedding. I know she made a beautiful bride. That poor little one with the double ear infection, that's awful. I'm glad she's doing ok now. And your trip to Italy sounds wonderful! Happy Birthday to your son - 40 is a special celebration. It sounds like you had a busy summer, and I'm looking forward to hearing what you have planned for Autumn. It's starting to get cooler here, and the Fall leaves are starting to change.

    Enjoy the rest of September, Karen.

    ~Sheri

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  17. You have a beautiful family! I love all the pictures!

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  18. Karen, I'm so glad you enjoyed your summer break from blogging. We had to deal with bad air quality from wildfires last year. Not pleasant, but if you take precautions (masks, air filters, etc) you can come through pretty much unscathed. Looking forward to hearing more about your summer!

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  19. What a delightful summer you have had, Karen. I loved reading about all your adventures with your dear family. The crib/bench you refurbished is amazing; and those cushions are perfectly tailored! You are such a talented one. I'm so looking forward to hearing more about your trip to Italy. It's good to have you back in blogland. Hugs, Pat

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  20. Hi Karen! So nice to see you back in blogland too. It looks like overall it was a tremendously blessed summer out your way. ;) YOur daughter looks so beautiful at her wedding. And your grandkiddos are getting so big already!! Your deck looks postiviely gorgeous and I LOVE how you did that bench.

    But best of all - Italy!!! Of the places in Europe I have been blessed to have been, Italy was my favorite. I look forward to seeing more about your trip. ;)

    Happy Fall blessings to you. xoxo

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  21. Oh yes, Italy is gorgeous. :)
    It was lovely to hear from you, Karen, and see this beautiful post. For some reason, your new posts do not appear in my sidebar, despite my efforts.
    The handwriting font looks lovely and it so matches the atmosphere of this blog, savouring moments.
    Hugs! xx

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  22. Welcome back Karen. I'm so pleased to hear that you had a good Summer. Your deck always looks attractive and I admire your sewing skills. The vintage crib/bench will be a useful addition. The material is lovely and everything looks fresh and beautiful. I look forward to hearing about Italy.

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  23. Lots to comment on, First glad you are back among us bloggers. Love the baby bed make over the large green check is wonderful
    Love the picture of the babies faces
    Oh I am sure it was a wonderful trip to Italy
    we need to see more pictures of the Italy trip

    keep us posted now

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  24. Dearest Karen, I am so happy to see you again. Your summer (apart from the smoke - cough, cough) sounds wonderful. I look forward to reading about Italy. Your little green bench/bed and coverings are absolutely beautiful! Great job!! And how lovely to see your family again. With autumn upon us, good days are ahead. xo. Gina

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  25. Lovely to see you again, I've missed you too. x

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  26. So good to catch up on all your news and adventures. A well spent summer and so many great memories to look back on.
    Amalia
    xo

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  27. Hi Karen, oh wow you sound like you had such a nice summer!! The cushions and tablecloth you made are so beautiful and I love the color. Your trip to Italy must of been so nice and I love Italy!!! So glad that you are back. :)
    Hugs, Julie xo

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  28. Well come back dear Karen!
    heavenly place you live i must say and what beautiful family !

    thank you for sharing such precious sights and joyous memories with us
    I found hard to read your new writing though loved the images and they worth watch long while :)

    more blessings to you and beautiful family you have my dear friend!

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  29. Incredibly beautiful pictures! It's really an absolute delight to watch your clicks. I also appreciate your beautiful writing. I am really touched with your writing.

    Thanks!
    who lives in Oregon

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  30. I so enjoyed reading your post, what a summer, your daughter looked so radiant, quite beautiful on her special day. I absolutely adore what you did with the old cot, what clever hands you have and your trip to Italy sounds like it was amazing xx

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  31. What a fun and fabulous summer you’ve had Karen! I adore the redo of that beautiful bench. I have limited experience with outdoor fabrics, but in general they’re relatively easy to work with as you learned. As for the old sewing machine, I like to say they’re oldies but goodies since they certainly don’t build them to last any longer.

    I’ll be looking forward to reading about your beautiful daughters wedding and your fabulous trip to Italy!

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  32. I have missed you! And wondered what was going on with you. Unfortunately you will not be able to comment on my blog posts. I am locked out of my comments and can't read them, but I hope you will visit my recent ones anyway (do you know how to fix that????) Anyway, what a lovely overview of your summer. How sweet to have the wedding and the extended family there! Love that beautiful bench you made of the old crib! And the deck looks awesome! (Our grandson power washed and then re-stained ours for us). Then Italy!!!! Wow...I can't wait to look at and comment on that post. Will do so soon! I would love to go to Europe but worry about all the bad things happening over there...it's so hard to write it off, though! :-( Take care. Will be back to you soon!

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Thank you for stopping by! Your comments are important to me and are very much appreciated. xx Karen

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