Catching Up

I feel like we've been really busy this last week and a half, and in looking over my photos I guess we have. So, lets get started:

I have done a bit of fixing up and sewing. Our neighbor had a garage sale and I picked up this incredibly ugly table top ironing board for $2.

Not one to let bad fabric choices deter me, I removed the old fabric and wool, and replaced it with clean felt and a pretty cotton print. I love that it's made of wood so it matches the large wooden ironing board I got from my Grammie. It needs a new cover too, so I might just use more of this print to have a matching set.

It has been raining a lot lately, making it hard to play outside. What have we been doing?

Funny enough, the kids are really enjoying doing this job, and I am grateful for the help.

It stopped raining long enough for us to enjoy our local Canada Day celebrations. After watching the parade we headed to the park for birdhouse building, pony rides, crafts and balloons. We came home just as the rain started again and enjoyed our Canada Day treats:

With a possible break in the weather we decided it was time for a road trip, and we packed up the car and headed south. We drove to Cultus to put flowers on my grandparents grave, then on to Tillsonburg and Port Burwell. The kids loved the sandy beach at Port Burwell:

At our hotel I discovered what our Favorite Boy had packed for our trip. I believe he considered all this absolutely essential.

I was just happy he packed his bathing suit! There's nothing in the tin by the way. I'm not sure if he was planning on filling it up with souvenirs.

The following day we headed for Port Bruce, and the kids enjoyed playing on a rock beach this time. There was a stiff breeze which made the waves come in a bit quicker than the day before, and not so gently. A little support was required:

I collected these rocks to take home. I think they are about the loveliest rocks I have ever seen.

You didn't think I could go without a little shopping now did you? What made it even better was thrift shopping! These are my souvenirs:

I also bought these two botanical prints. I love that they're done in blues and have linen mats around them.

They were very dusty, and oh so vintage-y, right down to the dirty frames. The backing paper on the frame looks like old blue and white wallpaper. What is really intriguing though, and something I didn't see until later, is a small bit of writing on the framers sticker on the print on the left. Someone wrote that the print was dated 1849. Hmmmm, we thought. I didn't want to take the frame apart just yet, so I did a bit of poking around on line, and it looks like I may have at least one antique botanical print done by a woman named Jane Webb Loudon, in or around 1849. Kind of cool huh? I haven't found any information for the print on the right just yet.

Have a great day!