Staying Home This Week - and Jamming with Granddaughter

In my last blog, we left the campground on Friday afternoon and headed on home. The weekend was all reserved at the campground, so we needed to vacate our site anyhow. The weather looked hot and humid and icky for the next four or five or six days so it was a good idea just to stay home!!

Someone that Steve used to work with at the University was selling this absolutely beautiful leather couch!! It is in wonderful shape, and they just had the leather professionally reconditioned. New, this couch is $4,000.00!!!

They were selling it to make room after rearranging some of the other things in their living room --- for only $250. 

I have always wanted a couch like that, and decided that it would go perfectly in our She-Shed instead of the smaller loveseat and perhaps removing one of our mission recliners.

These recliners have been comfortable, but I think the coach was going to add a lot more versatility. I felt that we needed it for evenings while watching TV with two dogs who insist on being on top of me. Not only that, but also for more seating for visiting company and grandkids ... and perhaps for afternoon naps!!!  It's not too squishy, and firm enough for sitting in and getting out of. 

We were debating on how to haul it back from Green Bay up to Oconto. We could drive all the way up to Wausaukee to the kids cabin to get the trailer and bring it back, and then go to Green Bay, bring the couch back. And then go back to the cabin to return the trailer, and then come back home. That is about 250 miles total. 

Instead, I came up with another idea. Heck, who cares if we look like the Beverly Hillbillies? We have a boat trailer that we use to transport our 17 ft canoe. It would work perfectly to haul a couch. 

And we did just that!

All of the cushions were stowed safely inside of our Kia.  The woven blanket just added to the "flavor" of the task!   We saved approximately 160 miles extra running around by just going directly there and back with our boat trailer. 

We carried out the love seat, and carried in the couch. Boy oh boy, that thing was not light!! Us old folks in our '60s can still hustle and get things done. But it took a bit of ooomph from both of us. 

Now we had to rearrange the entire She Shed to accommodate the longer couch. We had to think and think and look and look and measure and measure until we decided on the best layout. My quilting frame and long arm quilting machine are the biggest obstacle, but it's necessary to be placed where it can be used easily. 

The dogs got a little discombobulated during the move around. But they decided as long as their beds were safe underneath my biggest barn loom, they were happy.

We tried rearranging it a couple different ways and try still keeping both of the recliners. Nope, that wasn't going to work. It was just too crowded. So instead, we kept one recliner and the couch. 

We like the view out the big windows to the yard, so postioning it facing outwards was a "must".  We tried 2 chairs facing inwards and moved the couch back towards the quilting frame.  But Steve didn't like that.  It could work, but I would have to move the couch forward every time to work on a quilt! 

This layout seems to work the best, and it's just perfect for an afternoon nap.  

Both of my looms are off to one side now, and can easily be pulled forward to work on when needed. My sewing desk is back where I liked it from before, near the door. Now I can use the tall platform behind it as an ironing table surface.  Still have a little more organizing to do with some of the boxes and baskets, but it's getting there. 

Steve's recliner was more "worn" so we opted to get rid of his. Granddaughter Chelsea was here visiting, and assisted to carry out his recliner chair. She really is a helpful young lady. 

To reward her for her work, we wanted to do a project together. We headed on over to Berryland in Abrams. It's that time of year, the strawberries are at their absolute best!

We have had so much rain lately, the berries were just bursting with flavor and juiciness. The mosquitoes were crazy and we did not feel like picking the berries ourselves. Instead, we bought two flats of pre-picked berries. Berryland allows kids to come and pick berries and put their names on the flat. When a customer comes and purchases the flat, part of the proceeds goes back to the kid who did the picking.

Ours happened to be picked by two girls named Amelia and Abigail. Looks like they were really busy. Amelia had picked three flats and Abigail had picked two. I'm glad that we were able to help them along in their summer job by purchasing the berries that they worked so hard to pick.

(And we didn't get eaten up by mosquitoes)

First step was to wash all of the berries. I love hanging out in the kitchen with Chelsea. She enjoys cooking and baking and creating things. She has taken extra classes in culinary arts through school during the summer months. We sure have fun together. My little Mini Me. 

It was very hot and humid, not quite the kind of weather that you want to process strawberries in. But we have a propane burner unit that came from a turkey deep fryer. Works perfect to set the canning kettle on and keep all the hot steamy air outside during processing of the jars. Steve set it up for us while we were inside working on the berries.

We sure had a lot of fun. And of course, a few berries were consumed during the process. Making memories, and hoping to pass on the skills that I learned at my mother's elbow when we canned and processed our garden vegetables and made apple jelly.

Chelsea is an old hand at canning jam with me and is very careful about measuring and super cautious about cleanliness when processing with the jars and lids.

My new GoPro app called "QUIK" takes photos and video clips and puts them together into a short YouTube segment. It does a lot of the editing and adds the music for me. I am learning as I go and thought I would put together a little YouTube clip of us doing our jam:

We did up a total of 13 pints and 19 half pints

 

Now that the she-shed was all rearranged, I was able to finally get out my newest quilt and finish up the binding around the edges. This is the position that I like my sewing desk. I had it like this before, but we moved it around to a different place with the last loom aquisition.  I think I got it all to fit and still keep it in this position now.  

This newest quilt is so pretty, it's made of red white and blue fabrics. Just perfect for a summertime picnic. Actually, that's what I named it!

Summertime Picnic available in my Etsy shop:

ETSY SHOP: summertime-picnic-quilt-free-shipping

Again, I put together a little slideshow with that GoPro app. I really think it turned out cute! I figure it's one more avenue for selling my quilts, to show them actually being made from start to finish with a cute little YouTube:

I enjoy doing it so much, I put together this one with the photos and video I had on file. This beautiful pineapple quilt I have named Pieces of Wisconsin Northwoods. I sewed a lot of blocks for this quilt while camping up north. 

While I was at it, having so much fun with this app, I also put one together for the third quilt that is in my Etsy store called Coffee Break:

We are pretty glad that we are not camping this week. It's been horribly hot, and lots and lots of rain. 

Actually today, it's been raining and pouring almost all day long. Absolutely perfect for simmering up a pot of homemade chicken vegetable soup. We treated ourself with a rotisserie chicken from Jack's Fresh Market for dinner the night before. Then the leftovers of their huge rotisserie chickens are perfect to pick apart and make into soup.

It's been so dark and gloomy and cloudy and rainy today. We actually had to turn on the lights in the She Shed as the rain was pouring down. I insisted to Steve that we needed to light the gas fireplace in the She Shed.  

It really took out the dampness and warmed it up nicely. What a perfect place to curl up and take a nap on my new couch!!!

It was actually so cold and damp in the rest of the house, Steve turned over the thermostat from air conditioning to heat! It took the chill out and I think this evening we may even bake something in the oven for dinner! 

Time to get this blog posted, take care and maybe next week we will have some camping posts again. 

More "A-Door-Able Door" and Chicken Veggie Soup Day

Steveio has been working on his "A-Door-able Door". He finally got all of the varnish and old layers of paint removed. He's making quite a job of it. Honestly, if I had been doing the door I would have just sanded it lightly enough to get off the loose stuff, spackled up the few deep gouges, holes and dings, and then gave it some new coats of paint. But, in fairness, it did gum up the sanding belts pretty thick and was hard to removed that many layers.  So the heat gun did the job much nicer. 

Yes, we are going to paint the door. All of the other doors in the house are painted and we have no varnished woodwork other than the hardwood floors. So sadly, yes, after all this work it will get painted again. But Steve had wanted to remove all of the layers of paint and varnish that were on there to begin with. That's why he is going through all these extra steps. Like I said, he's making a job of it rather than a quick project or a hobby. That's my Steveio!

If you recall from a couple blogs back, this is the door in it's original shape. He was able to negotiate it for $20 and it is the perfect size to replace the modern one that is currently on our bedroom doorway.

Here below is the modern one on our bedroom doorway. This is actually a whole new doorway that was created when the bedrooms were shifted around to make a master bath. The previous owners did this work, and put in the new door.  Originally this section of wall had a big floor to ceiling bookcase. Once the bedrooms were moved around, this doorway was added. It's just a cheap hollow core modern looking door. It almost feels plastic in it's own way. I don't even know what it's made of. MDF?  Steve says it really bothers him and he has always wanted to change to an old wooden door that matches the rest.

Here are the original doors--- this one that leads into the bathroom from the master bedroom. That's why he was so excited to see this newest one on Marketplace because it exactly matches our other doors. It was taken out of an old home about 5 miles away that was being torn down to build a new home.

This morning, Steve wanted to carry in the door to do a trial run fit before he does anything else. Of course being an old house, nothing is ever square!!!  

I am the "door holder" and "tool getter" and "pencil sharpener" and any other task he needs my assistance on.  Even something as little as holding open and closing the front door to the outside as he goes in and out is helpful too. 

The door fits into the space but needs a little bit of shifting and shoving around to try and get it even. It's pretty much a close fit, but Steve is making much more of a job of it and is going to make it fit perfectly (of course).  Oh well, gives him something to do today. 

He shimmed it up to the correct height underneath and I came from the living room side to help hold it into place. This is going to work out quite well. We will need to move the striker plate and latching bore hole up a little higher and patch in the old one on the jamb. This old door has a higher knob then the other one. That's kind of strange, I thought in the old days that people were shorter and knobs were lower? No idea.

He marked the areas that he needs to cut a little bit off. Not a lot. Just a teeny bit on one side. Then he will bring it back in again and we can mark the hinges where he will have to mortise router out the space for the hinges on the door itself. Luckily he can leave the original hinges from the old doorway in place on the frame.

He only had to chisel out a tiny bit, 

and now the hinges will fit back into the doorjamb. 

tap tap tap

And there we have it!!!  (Steve is fond of that saying)  The pretty glass knobs we have throughout the house now fit onto the door and cover up the markings and cuts from the older 1970's brass knob. Steve put it all on for now to get things lined up, but he will remove it before we take the door back out to the garage to paint. 

Yes, we do need to paint it. 

It's only a pine door.

These are some of the flaws unearthed 

after all the paint removal. 

They will all be wood puttied up, and then sanded. Finally I will get out my paint and roller and brush and give it a good couple of coats with our trim color, so it will match everything else.  Now that Steve has the garage insulated, I can paint out there while it is laying flat on the sawhorses.  Much easier than painting it erect in the doorway in the house. Less runs and drips and the paint will lay more evenly on the wood. 

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While he was busy with the door, in between my tasks I started a big ole pot of chicken veggie soup this morning.  I chopped up the vegetables (yes, I chop the leaves on the celery for added flavor to the soup) and get everything ready to dump in the soup pot. 

I had two frozen chicken breasts to cook up, so I popped them into the pressure cooker with some water and Knorr's soup broth powder.  In 20 minutes they are ready to fall apart and soooo tender. 

I shredded the chicken up with a fork and knife, and dumped it into the soup pot where the vegetables were starting to simmer.  I also dumped in the broth (after straining it) from the pressure cooker for added flavor. 

Our local store carries these big jars of bulk spices they buy from the Nutmeg Spice Company.   https://www.nutmegspice.co/   They are re-packaged and labeled from our local store, but can also be ordered directly online.   I love the mixed  dried vegetables that I can add to soups for more flavor and a bit of color.  They are pieces of red and green peppers, spinach, dried tomatoes and also the same carrots, celery and onions that I already have in the pot. 

  

Oh my.... the house smells so good!!!  I love simmering soup in the middle of the day for lunch.  It's one of Steve's favorite lunches.  After all of his hard work on the door, he deserves it. 

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It's still another cold day in Wisconsin, but we've escaped the snow that has fallen to the north of us and to the south of us. The sun is out today, only kind of halfway cloudy. It does look like the weekend may warm up into the low 70s! 

I am scheming to get the motorhome loaded up on Friday morning so we can take off for one more camping trip before winter comes. Steve already winterized the water lines on the motorhome, but they can easily be dewinterized for one more weekend.  Tomorrow he and his brother Pete are going to spend the day helping their father get things settled in for winter in his garage and haul in firewood etc.  So I will send up the rest of the soup for those hard-working guys!