The Fall Chore

It has to be done.

"Did you tie off?"

"Uhhmmm, could you move

the chimney over a little for the pictures?

The light just isn't right"

This is the cleaning brush.

Just swish it around a few times.

Add length, and swish.

"Are you coming down?"

"Wait, there's a spot."

"Yes, right there."

"That's it"

"Thank you for fixing it."

"OK, come on down."

"Safe"

Thank you for the chimney sweep!

And now, back to the fall foliage...

Beauty Inside and Out

I just can't get enough of the fall foliage! 

But, there is so much beauty inside. as well!

Cindy finished eight lovely appliqued blocks

and this is one.  Almost makes me

want to do some applique again.

Denene completed her fun 

2010 Carlsbad vacation scrapbook.

Emily's project was her wedding scrapbook

(she wore her grandmother's stunning gown).

Tandra finished a baby quilt, 

and made warm, wool biking caps.

Haley paper pieced some perfection

and made a cute apron

Madison pieced her blocks

and started sewing them together.

 Thank you for coming!

We look forward to your next visit!

Please come back again 

and stay a little longer!

As the Trees Turn

 We are moved in and getting settled.

Or, is it moved out?

Inside are delightful and diligent workers -

quilters and scrapbookers!

Mother & daughter (Cindy & Madison),

sisters (Haley & Tandra)

and cousins (Emily & Denene)!

The FIrst Signs of Fall Foliage

Can you see it?

Way over there...

across the valley...

on the mountain top.

Small waves of golden leaves!

Just beginning to turn.

Look closely at these leaves.

This is my favorite time of year.

Let's watch together

 over the next few days.

I Miss...

your pretty/handsome faces...

(this blog caters to both

male and female readers)

being at the cabin...

blogging.

We will be there this weekend with a group.

I can hardly wait.

Of course, we have thought about food!

As we were preparing the menu

and shopping lists,

I thought that I would share one of

my favorite fall recipes

that we will be serving.

Roasted Red Potatoes with Bacon and Cheese

Makes 8 servings, 2/3 cup each.

Prep: 15 min Total: 1 hour 10 min.

1/2 C BBQ Ranch Dressing

1/2 C Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1/4 C Bacon Bits

2 lbs. small red potatoes, quartered

1 T parsley

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix dressing, cheese and bacon bits in a large bowl.

Add potatoes; toss lightly.

Spoon into lightly greased 13x9 baking dish;

cover with foil.

Bake 40 minutes.

Remove foil; bake an additional 15 minutes or

until potatoes are tender.

Sprinkle with parsley.

We will be serving this with Smoked Brisket!

YUMMY!

Fishing

Headed back to Amarillo,

we stopped at Coyote Creek to

"check the load"

(that is code for

"let's see what we lost off the trailer

on the way down the mountain").

As I was waiting

I saw a truck pull in to the subdivision.

It looked official.

Mickey grabbed the camera.

This guy was stocking the stream with trout!

We had heard that they do this,

but really had no proof.

It was fun to watch!

We talked with him a little.

He says that they do this

about every two weeks in the summer.

The fish must be at least 9" long

to be taken out to the big waters

from the fish hatchery.

There were a couple of nets

full of happy fish when they hit the water!

There was one lucky fisherman down stream

from the guy who was stocking!

Poor fish.

The Sounds, The Beauty & The Warmth of the Mountain Evening

I think that this is a cool picture

with the blue mountain sky

and the clouds gathering!

Mickey took it

and said that it was a mistake.

I guess that is evidenced

by the brim of his cap,

but I still think it's a cool picture.

The clouds really began

to gather this evening.

And then light rain...

and the cool temps.

It was time for our first chimenea fire!

The sound of the mountain stream,

the beauty of the sunset,

the warmth of the fire

and my best friend is beside me.

We would love for you to join us!

Thank you, Merry Hearts!

Come sit with us

on the covered flagstone patio

with a fire in the chimenea!

Thank you for the chimenea,

Merry Hearts!

Flagstone Completion

Finally, working on the last pieces. 

Preparing the template,

Picking the stone.

Finally, the last piece!

Now, here are the outstanding flagstones: 

The smallest piece.

The largest piece.

Sweeping the sand in the cracks.

The finished product.

Ready for the move in!

Another project already?

I am glad that Cory has arrived

to help with this one!

More about it tomorrow.

Flagstone Project Day 2

We spent the entire day on this project!

Well, after the hot tub

and breakfast.

This is where we started this morning.

There were lots of cuts to make today.

Yesterday, we were looking

for single straight edges.

Today, we were fitting pieces together.

It is a little like a puzzle, but

when you get frustrated,

you just cut the piece to fit.

Betty, "Oh look it's a horse head!"

Mickey, "I think it is Maisy!"

What do you think?

This is our stopping point today.

We will finish tomorrow.

And, move in -

my favorite part of any project!

The Flagstone Project

The stone has been on the trailer,

parked in front of the cabin

for a couple of months.

There were so many other things

getting in the way of it!

There were groups coming,

Grandkids Camp,

family visits,

more road construction.

It seems that this week,

we ran out of excuses.

So, here we are!

With the driveway widened,

Mickey could pull his trailer load

to the back and we got started.

Bags of sand had to be dumped and spread.

Huge slabs of flagstone

had to be trimmed to fit

and put in place.

It is looking good!

Each slab is HEAVY!