Granite Farm

Winter in all its Beauty

2009-01-25T18:28:00.005-05:00

Stay Warm, Have Fun & Enjoy Life

snowman

2009-01-25T00:20:00.002-05:00

Welcome Winter

Quote of the week

2008-11-05T19:44:00.002-05:00

" The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing."
Albert Einstein

Knit Dish Cloths

2008-10-26T09:21:00.003-04:00

These are the BEST. We have cut down tremendously on our paper towel usage with these. I use them for all our cleaning needs. My grandmother knits them. I'm stock piling them for future use. She uses hers for taken baths. They are easy to clean. Throw them in the washing machine and add soap and a little bit of bleach. We can make a roll of paper towels last in our house now for over a month.

Fairy Houses for Birthday Party

2008-10-19T11:26:00.012-04:00

My best friends little girl was having a fairy party and asked for some suggesting for a take home craft project. I suggested making Fairy Houses. Here is some of the stuff I came up with. We held the houses together with hot glue. I'll post photos of the fairy Houses when she sends them to me.
Scrapes of fabric.

Satin ribbon.

Each child had their own bag of natures little treasures.

Tiger-Lily leaves, sticks, acorns, pine cones, & oak leaves.

Sunflower Leaves

This was a house I made with her daughter. She had a great time with the glitter glue and fake flower petals. The petals and fabric were put on with glue stick.

Quote of the week

2008-10-08T16:25:00.002-04:00

" Attitude is the minds paintbrush. It can color any situation."
Author unknown

Fall in New England

2008-10-07T23:37:00.007-04:00

Fall is my favorite time of year here in New England. It's a great time of year to be inspired to create. This is the time of year I like to say I get my pond back. From Mid May to about now our view is blocked from all the leaves on the trees.
The leaves floating on the water remind me of a beautiful warm quilt. Maybe that will give me some incentive to do my first real quilt this winter. I have several strips I have started in the past but have not gotten very far with them. I think this winter will be different.

The colors in this tree are the same colors you would find in my home. I love the Harmony and Peacefulness that natural greens and yellows give off. I get a lot of my ideas from being outdoors. I know I haven't shown much of my art or crafts. That is all going to change this fall. I'm finishing off my studio this week. Hopefully I can fit everything in this small but great room. I'll post pictures this week of the progress. I find I need to be organized for me to create and right now that is not the case. I have craft stuff, sewing stuff, art supplies, scrap booking material , books and magazines every where.

I love the colors that these flowers show. The bees are even busy getting ready for winter. There must have been 2 to 3 different kinds of bees flying around these flowers while I was taken pictures.

Even though it is my favorite time of year, I'm sad to see my garden go. We had a killer frost last night. I had picked the last of are crops this weekend. I know the carrots look small but they tasted soooo good. I sauteed them in olive oil, kosher salt,cracked black pepper and 1/2 tablespoon of brown sugar. I sauteed them till they were slightly tender. We tend to eat our veggies on the raw side. Hope your all enjoying your final harvest.

Have Fun & Enjoy

Grosgrain: Red Riding Hood Jacket GIVEAWAY!!!!

2008-10-06T22:19:00.004-04:00

Grosgrain: Red Riding Hood Jacket GIVEAWAY!!!!

You need to check out this sight. What a beautiful red jacket. She is very creative and all the cloths she makes are beautiful. Check out her sight it's wonderful.

Inspiring Quotes Weekly

2008-10-01T21:30:00.006-04:00

Starting this week I will be posting a weekly inspirational quote along side one of my photographs. I hope you find them as uplifting as I do. ENJOY. Feel free to leave a comment with any of your favorite quotes that uplift you .

Inspirational Quote of the week

2008-10-01T21:04:00.006-04:00

" Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions."

Albert Einstein ( 1879-1955)

The Country Fair

2008-09-30T21:48:00.002-04:00

Family Tradtion in our family is going to The Deerfield Fair. To give you an idea how far our family goes back, my grandfather use to lead the parade on opening day back around the mid 1930's. They no longer have the parade but they do still have animals, entertainment, horse shows, and the buildings where local folks show off there country skill. Quilting, crafting, canning, baking, flowers, and vegetables. Bring your family to a local fair & make it a tradition. These can be great memories that last a life time.

This is my favorite building on the fair grounds. Inside is how people lived back in the early 19th century and earlier. The barn is filled with old farming equipment.

First thing we do when we get to the Fair is go to the art and craft buildings and see what we got for a ribbon. Shorty was so excited to see he got 1st and 2nd on his pictures. Great gram also did well in her classess. She knits and sews. I didn't have a enough time this year to enter but maybe next year. I missed not doing it this year.

What every child wants to do at the fair. RIDES!

SEE YOU NEXT YEAR AT FAIR. Now's the time to start planning projects to enter next year.

Maybe next year I'll enter my Strawberry Jam and Art work.

Have Fun

That Time of Year

2008-09-26T10:37:00.004-04:00

FALL IS OUR FAVORITE TIME OF YEAR
Show your Scottish pride at the Highland Games. Lots of music, dancing, and of course The Games. Loon Mountain provides the perfect back drop for the gathering of the Clans.

Musicians from Scotland and Canada perform under this giant tent.

The Highland Games takes place in September at Loon Mountain in Lincoln, New Hampshire. This is truly a wonderful family event that can be enjoyed by all generations. My son really enjoyed watching the tossing of the Caber. He got to try out some 17th century children's games. Find your Clan at Clan village where you can reconnect to your past and heritage. Lots of vendors providing products you can only find in Europe or Canada.

Cake Idea for Your adventurer

2008-09-25T23:56:00.003-04:00

My son wanted a Indiana Jones cake for his Birthday this year.
I used the following receipe for the cake and the frosting.
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/1 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup butter or margine
1 3/4 cuprs of sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups milk
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt.
In another large bowl beat butter and sugar until smooth. Add vanilla.Add eggs one at a time.
Add dry mixture and milk, Alternate between the two. Pour into pan. I used 13x9x2 inch baking
pan.
Grease and lightly flour the pan before pouring batter in.
Bake at 375' for 30 to 35 mintues.
Cool cake in pan on rack for 10 mintues before removing. Cool cake thoroughly before frosting.

Frosting
1/3 cup of butter
4 1/2 cups of powered sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
milk
food coloring

Beat butter till fluffy. Gradually add 2 cups of sugar. Slowly add 1/4 cup of milk and vanilla.
Add rest of sugar.Add more milk if needed for frosting consistency. Add food coloring.

I used twine tied to tooth picks. I put the frosting on the twine so it would resemble vines. I mixed yellow, red, and blue to make the base of the cake. For the vines I used green mixed with some of the base frosting. I purchased the figures at a local cake shop.

Images of a Little Boys Summer

2008-08-28T21:24:00.006-04:00

Images of my little boys Summer. It's the end of the summer and he's not such a little boy anymore. The summer went way to fast. School has already started. I'll look back on these pictures during the middle of the Winter we are getting our 10th snow storm and there is 3feet of snow out our windows. Father and Son

Summer Toys

Time to pick and display!

Get to enjoy the fruit of all our labors. They won't last long in our house.

Show off your Spring and Summer Flowers.

2008-08-14T23:21:00.010-04:00

This is a great time of year to cut some fresh flowers and show them off in a unique container.

I love using old water cans!

Recycle your glass vases with your own flowers, or return them to the florist if your flowers came from them. They will appreciate it and it's one less thing in our land fills.

Free flowers from the road side or my garden are the best.

Impatients never seem to disappoint. My grandmother has always grown big beautiful Impatients. Her secret is to water them both morning and night. They also don't like a lot of sun.

I also like to use the following to arrange flowers in:

Mason jars
Old crocks
An old wash bucket
An old boot or shoe
Mini maple syrup jars
jelly jars
baby food jars

Get creative with your flowers.

Have Fun!

Inexpensive Window Boxes

2008-08-14T14:42:00.001-04:00

I finally got my window boxes. We've lived here for 5 years and I have always wanted window boxes on the front of the house. I love looking at houses with beautiful over flowing window boxes. My husband was worried about damage that the water might cause to the house. I came up with an idea that puts the boxes far enough away from the house that their should not be any damage.

I got all the material from the Mill Store. The unfinished boxes with plastic liners were only $14 a piece. Most window boxes I looked at were $75 and up. The brackets were $5.00 a piece. This was a very inexpensive project that added a lot of character to the house.I originally wanted to buy antique brackets but I couldn't find enough that matched. I needed 8 brackets. I have four windows.

First thing I did to prepare the boxes was:

Drilled about 30 holes in the bottom of each box

Sand the boxes before painting

Primed the boxes

Used exterior paint ( I used 2 coats of left over paint from the house trim)

Re drill the holes (paint can clog the them)

I cut huge holes in the plastic liners so they would drain easily

Placed one layer of newspaper on the bottom of the liner.

Fill with potting soil and compost.

Fill with plants. ( Choose filler flowers( I used pink Becopia) Usually small buds, trailing flowers & vines( Vinca or Potato Leaf as an example) and then a main flower ( I used ruffled Petunia)

I placed the brackets on the house with the long side faced up. The window boxes sit right up to the end of the bracket. ( I wanted a 2 to 3 inch gap between the house and the window box. )Once the flowers fill in you really don't notice the gap. The window boxes were drilled to the bracket from underneath.

Notice the Whimsical bug. This was from the Kith & Kin Studios a few years back. My sister-n-law designed the wings and I designed and painted the body. We had them in all kinds of playful colors. Someday I'll post the Fat Fairies we made. They are adorable.
You can really change the look of your house with this project. Next month I'm going to replace the summer flowers with Mums and Decorative Cabbage, and this winter I will have Holly berry, mixture of greens and red berries.

Have fun with them.

Snowball Effect of Home Projects

2008-08-04T23:17:00.000-04:00

Shorty really enjoyed helping out. He told my dad "he couldn't wait to rip the carpet out because he was a junk yard dog." My son. I Love Him. He was a great help. We paid him in baseball cards for all his hard work.

Soon this Island will be gone and an old table will replace it.

We have been very busy getting ready to put in wide pine flooring. As with any project; it seems to grow. Putting in the floor means:

Paint the walls, because the rooms open up into each other, it means more rooms get painted.

Floor trim has to come up and all the other trim has to get painted

Island in the middle of the kitchen has to come out.

Every thing in the Island has get packed up.

Finish the large library reference table that will serve as the Island in the Kitchen. (Salvage yard burnt down a month ago, so now we have to find another place that sells old wood.)

Need to match up old wood to make a few missing draws on the table.

Try and match up old paint we liked. ( Didn't happen, so I had to rethink the colors in the hallway. Three trips to the paint store and a couple re dos on the walls. We finally ended up with a harmony of color we're happy with.

We now have to add a chair rail because I wanted to use both the paint colors I picked for the hallway. (Hubby is a very Patience man. I love you Honey).

And it all has to be done before Shorty goes back to school.

The floor goes in this weekend so I will not be blogging very much this week. A lot to do for just a floor! Has this happened to you? When I was doing Interior Design I would tell clients to be prepared for these headaches. I need to listen to my own advise now. We now are living out of one room . ARRGGGHH!

Here are a few pictures of my faux finish I did. The color is a happy accident. I wasn't sure how I would like it . This is about all the creating I'm going to get to do for a while. Though it was fun to play in the paint.

I know it will be ALL worth it when it DONE!

This was the first color I painted. We thought it was a little to bright, though my son loved it. So while hubby was at work I thought I would try to do a faux finish.

I had some glaze left over from a table I worked on a while ago. It was a dark brown. I used a rag. I had another rag that I used to blot up excess glaze. At the very end I got the rag damp and went over the wall. I didn't like it. Then I had a little paint left over from the original hallway color. I put this on with a damp rag. I feathered out any hard edges. I wasn't sure if I liked it yet. This is when Shorty and I went to the paint store to buy more paint. We bought two shades lighter from what we had put on the wall.

<
p>When we got home, the wall had dried. I Loved how it looked.
Then I moved on to the hallway. Two paint colors and a roll of painters tape later I was finished. That's when hubby came home and I told him we were going to have a chair rail. (Like I said , he is very patience.)
Have a great week & Have Fun!

New Products in Etsy store

2008-08-04T23:05:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone,

I feel like I'm behind in my posts. We've been busy getting ready to put flooring in. As many of you know; when you start one project it ballons in to a whole other ball of wax. So to begin with I have added two new postcards to my Etsy store. I will be adding more pictures sometime this week.

Hope all are enjoying this great summer!

Have Fun!

Pictures from Castle in The Clouds

2008-08-01T21:44:00.000-04:00

The name of the estate is Lucknow

Yeah, we finally made it to Castle In The Clouds. Here is the breath taken view from the front lawn. The estate covers 5,500 acres. Original the estate bordered on the edge of the lakes you see in the picture. Thomas Plant built the property in 1914. His niece introduced him to the lake region. He fell in love with the area and had this home built for his second wife Olive. He lost all his money in bad investments and the stock market crash of 1929. His creditors let him live out his life at the estate until his death in 1941. The house was turned over to them and Olive went to California to take care of her parents.

Beautiful views from every window. I've lived here my whole life and had never ventured up here before. There are over 40 miles of hiking trails. We stopped at the "Falls of Song" on the way up the winding two-mile road. Look at this huge bolder that was named "The Pebble"

Falls of Song

The home is made out of stone. He had employed over a thousand stone masons, mostly from Italy. Thomas Plant requested that each stone be cut into a pentagram to represent the 5 major World Powers at that time. You can tell, when he wasn't around the stone didn't always get cut right. It would take 1 mason 1 whole day to carve out 3 stones. A lot of work, but the craftsmanship is wonderful.

Almost every window had these beautiful hand painted glass

windows. Stone flower boxes lined the front lawn wall.

Library window over looking the lakes region. Shorty wanted to just look at all the books. He got out his magnifying glass to read some off the titles. You couldn't pick them up.

The Castle in the Clouds is managed by the Castle Preservation Society. They are working on the house and hope to have it fully restored by 2014 to celebrate the homes 100Th birthday. They are opening rooms as they finish them. They are trying to put it back to it's original state.

It was a great and informative day. Very interesting place. Shorty really enjoyed it as much as my mother and I did.

Have Fun!

Slow and Carefree Summer ?

2008-07-31T22:42:00.000-04:00

My resolution for the New Year was not to fill up the calender.(My husband laughed at me when I told him that. ) I swore off booking everyday with a play date or an event this summer. Past experience has proved that it doesn't make for a relaxing summer (though most of the time it's fun). We had success at the begining of the summer. Not so much now. We have so many things we would like to do before school starts in four weeks.Visit friends & family, go to the beach, head up North, visit a museum or just get stuff done around the house.( Last on my list)

We have spent many days of doing nothing this summer though. Shorty has been able to spend countless hours in pretend play with his best friend that lives next door. Our yards are such that we can watch the children play easily.

We took pictures of the boys backpacks hanging in the tree recently. We loved what it represented. Children that enjoy the outdoors. Running, riding, and jumping around instead of ; inside on the couch with a video game in their hands.

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Tomorrow we go to The Castle in The Clouds. Hope there is no rain. Shorty was disappointed we didn't get their last week. I will post pictures of the estate and the nature trails that surround it.

Hope all are having a great summer!
HAVE FUN!

Etsy and Craft Fairs

2008-07-29T22:28:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone,

In a few weeks I will be offering post cards in my Etsy store. Here is an example of some of the pictures I have chosen. You can view my photo stream at: www.flickr.com/photos/kithandkinstudios/

I will be offering them as note cards and pictures that are on canvas with gallery style side edges. I hope to in the next few weeks take more pictures. If you are interested in any pictures let me know. The post cards are going to be around $2 to $3 a piece plus shipping and handling. I also hope to have my art work made into postcards and regular size cards in the future.

I'm working towards a web sight where you would be able to buy directly from me. I will be excepting Pay Pal and Money orders. You can read about my shipping and return Policy on Etsy . Kithandkinstudios.Etsy.com

Speaking of Etsy, it is a wonderful sight. I could spend hours checking out everything. How about making this Christmas a handmade season. Each piece is made by a person with passion and love for what they do. Can't find that in a big box store.

All items on Etsty are hand made, Vintage (over Twenty years old), or items you use to make crafts. You could make your own Christmas presents. I love getting hand made things for my birthday or Christmas. My best friend shops all year at different craft fairs to find the perfect gifts to give to family and friends.

The craft fair season is starting around here. This weekend Kingston is having Kingston Days on the plains. It's like an old time country fair. On Saturday they have an art show, local artist sell and demonstrate their talents. A great place to find up and coming artist.

The League of Craftsmen will be holding their annual fair this weekend through next weekend (Aug 2-10). They are celebrating 75 years . This the best of the best. They are all juried craftsman/craftswomen.

http://www.nhcrafts.org/

The event takes place at Mount Sunapee Resort, Newbury , NH

A beautiful drive no matter which direction you come from. Route 93 to 89.

Another big craft show is The Rockingham Craftsmen Fair. For the first time this year it will be held in Stratham, NH at Stratham Hill Park. It takes place Saturday August 2, 9-3.

All the crafters have been juried . They also put on a fair towards Christmas.

Check out a craft fair in your local area and connect with the talented people that are in your own backyard. Your local newspaper usually is loaded with different events happening in your area.

BE INSPIRED, GET CRAFTING AND HAVE FUN!

Pick Your Own Farms

2008-07-28T22:13:00.000-04:00

< Today we went blueberry picking. This is our third trip back to The Monahan Farm this year.
Our goal is to try and pick 40 pounds of blueberries. So far we are at 15 pounds. We have a long long way to go. It doesn't help when Shorty picks one, eats one, and then picks one.

He came up with a good method that helped move it along. He cupped his two hands together and I would place a bunch in his hands, he would place them in the bucket and then we would repeat. He felt like he was being a big help and we were able to fill the buckets quicker.

I think he had a slight tummy ache after eating those blueberries. Hopefully we will be able to go again sometime this week.

A great tip I was given to freeze them is, place them in a single layer on a cookie sheet and put them in the freezer for about 20 minutes. After take them out and put them in some kind of freezer container.

Tonight grandparents and great gram came over for dessert. We served Raspberry Turn Overs. The raspberries came from Monahans. I made a dozen or so turn overs when we picked the raspberries few Weeks ago. They are easy to make and freeze well. The recipe is below. I got the recipe out of Better Homes & Garden New Cook Book. I have modified it a little for our family.
Pastry for Double-Crust Pie

2 cups of flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup of shortening ( I like to use butter that is local)
6 to 7 tablespoons of water

Double this recipe to make 8 turn overs

Stir together flour and salt. Cut in the shortening till pieces are pea size.( You can use two knifes or pastry blender to combined the two).

Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of water over part of the mixture: gentle toss with fork. Push moistened dough to the side of bowl. Repeat using 1 tablespoon at a time until mixture is moistened. Dived the dough into 4 balls ( 8 if you doubled the crust recipe) . Put the dough in the refrigerator while you make the filling.

Raspberry Filling

1/2 to 3/4 cup of sugar
3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
5 cups of fresh or frozen unsweetened raspberries

In a large bowl stir together the sugar and flour. Add raspberries. Gently toss until all the raspberries are coated. If using frozen fruit let it sit for about 15 to 30 minutes .

Roll out each pasty ball into a circle. Dough should be smooth before you place the filling on top. Place about 1/4 cup of filling on each pasty . Fold in half. Press edges of Turn Overs with a fork. Mark slits on top with a fork. Place on a cookie sheet or flat cooking stone.

Place parchment paper on rack to catch any over flow. Cover edges with aluminum foil to prevent burning. Cook in a 375* oven for about 20 minutes. Remove foil and cook for another 20-30 minutes. Frozen berries will take longer to cook. You can tell when they are done by looking at the crust. It should be golden brown. The juice that seeps out should be thick.

You can also cook these on the grill (I used a couple mini cast iron skillets). Grease bottom on pans.Place two Turn Overs in each pan. Have grill on low. The temperature should be around 300*. You do have to keep constant watch when it is on the grill. If it is cooking to fast, move to part of grill that doesn't have any flame. The heat will cook the turn over. Use a metal spatula to lift around the Turn Over as it cooks. This keeps it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

You could use almost any fruit in this turn over. Raspberries Turn Overs just happen to be my husband's favorite. My son & I love apple. Can't wait for apple picking season.

ENJOY and HAVE FUN!

Preview Of Products for Etsy

2008-07-27T23:49:00.000-04:00

I know it's been about a week since I've added anything to my Etsy store. I'm working on new products. Here is a preview of what will be coming. They are not done and I have a few more things to add. They are the actually drawings and not a print. These will be sold as book marks. I have protected them with a glossy spray, so the pencil and ink won't smudge. They will have a ribbon on the top that complements the drawing. I hope to add them to my store some time this week. I also hope to have postcards and cards of my photography and art work made up soon. Let me know what you think.

Stay Tuned & Have Fun!

Mountain Biking in New Hampshire

2008-07-27T21:45:00.000-04:00

Today was a day to head out to the woods and ride some dirt roads and single track. My husband and son's thoughts are, the muddier you get , the better. Shorty was very proud that his whole back side was splattered with it. We started out on a dirt road, then found some single track trails. Lots of hills to go down . Unfortunately, we had to go back up all those hills. It was all worth it though. Awesome trails!

We were at Pawtuckaway State Park. You can access this part of the park in Deerfield. It's off Route 107. Turn on to Reservation Road. The road is a dirt road that forks. Their is a sign at the fork that says the "fire tower" (pointing to the right).Take a right at the fork and find any place along the side to park. The road twist and turns many times. Sometimes you will come across low areas that are washed out after a heavy rain. Not a good road for really low cars, though over the last few years they have done a lot of road work to make it passable.

In this park you will find hiking trails, dirt roads, single track, streams, marshes, beautiful forest, and the Boulder Fields, they are a popular place for climbers to practice their climbing techniques. These giant boulders were left behind during the last Ice Age.

Things to bring when are mountain biking:

A back pack filled with the following items:

Water
First Aid Kit
Tube kit
Tools to repair bike
A energy snack
Camera
Extra Clothing

It's a good idea to ride with a buddy. If you do ride by yourself make sure you let someone know where you will be riding and when you plan to be back. You can bring your cell phone but don't re lie on it. I know most places we hike & bike there is no cell towers.

Grab the children and start riding. With gas prices going up, bike sales are going up to. If you are looking for a bike it is best to go to a bike shop. Your bike will be better fitted to you or your child. Quality is everything when it comes to a good ride. Expect to pay around $100 and up. A bad fitting bike will discourage anyone just starting out. The technician will adjust the bike for proper fit to you. Shop around and do the research first. I know some shops will do free maintenance on your bike if you buy your bike from them. You might get a better trade in if you deal with the same shop over a long time.

BMX

If your new to riding start out slow and easy. There are many trails in New Hampshire that are labeled easy. Check out NEMB ( New England Mountain Biking ). They have chapters all over New England. They hold events for all riding levels. The latest was at Bear Brook State Park They had family rides, advanced rides, and offered clinics for women riders. http://www.nemba.org/

The Olympics this year will be debuting BMX. My son has been doing this for a few years now. We have noticed an increase in the amount of riders. We have seen a 4 year old girl to a 63 year old man race. It's truly a family event. Everyone cheers and supports all the riders. Their is a track in most States. New Hampshire has Rye Air Field Skate Park in Rye and Whale Back in Enfield. Our track lets you have your first race free. After that you have to pay for a NBL licence. Then at each race, you can pay just for points or trophy/ points. About $12 to $15 a race.

Nature Walk

2008-07-25T21:16:00.000-04:00

Today we headed up north to go to The Castle In the Clouds. We had a late start. We arrived there after many hours of detours, due to Tornado damage & car accidents on the highway. It was to late to venture out on all that The castle has to offer, so we are going to try it next week. Stay tuned.

However we did end up on some of the prettiest roads in New Hampshire. Route 25 through Ashland, Meredith, and Moultonborough. I will be going back up in the Fall to take pictures. The scenic roads are sprinkled with old historic homes dating back to the 17Th century. Stone walls, roving hills, and giant maple trees added the final touch to the picture perfect roads.

We ended up in Tamworth at Lake Chocora. The lake has been photographed thousands of times through out the years. Especially in the fall when the trees are at their peak. The Bluegrass band Nickle Creek filmed part of their video, The Light House Keeper, at the lake.

We ate our picnic lunch, Shorty swam, and my mother & I took in the great view while relaxing in our lawn chairs. After Shorty was done swimming we went for a nature walk on a trail that follows the lake. It wasn't very long, but we took our time and explored the environment around us. My mother had been on that trail about 50 years ago with her father. She said she was around shorties age. We saw many signs of wildlife. Scat from deer, feathered nest, and many insects. Shorty brought along his nature journal so he could record and draw what he saw. A Daddy Long Leg had tried to hitch a ride on my shoulder when we were heading back to our car. I'm glad I'm not scared of them. Though if it had been a snake my feet would not have seen the ground for a mile.

Even though the day didn't end up the way we had planned, it was fun. My son got to spend some quality time with his grandmother and mom.

I was able to get some pictures of my Art & Nature class I taught, from our wonderful children's Librarian. I want to thank her for letting me post them.

I'm looking froward to this fall's art classes with the children. I've even had a few mothers interested in taken my class.

Have a Great Night & Have Fun with Your Family!