Wisconsin Beer, Cheese and Fireworks

As I travel on with Midwest week, I'm gonna write about beer.

I realize some of you might be wondering if I've hung up my paint brush in favor of hitting the road.

Yes, I'd much rather travel around than paint.  But this wanderlust is only temporary.

I toured around St. Paul in part 1 here, and part 2 here, and now I'm heading across the border to Wisconsin for contraband. 

Beer, cheese, and illegal fireworks to be exact.

Touring St. Paul, Part 2

Read Part 1 of touring St. Paul {here} and come along with me now for Part 2.

I mentioned in part 1 that George our tour guide had a bit of an agenda when he planned what we would see.

His wife Betty lived for a time in the city, but never visited some of the sights, so part of our day was related to Betty's bucket list. 

After breakfast at Mickey's Diner we headed to St. Anthony Falls.

St. Anthony Falls are the only true water falls on the entire Mississippi River.

Touring St. Paul, Part 1

I suppose you think all I do is sit home and upcycle, repurpose or paint old ugly pieces of furniture?

No, sometimes I hit the road to see what I can see.

If last week was mosaic week at the Ranch, this week would be Mid West week.  

*I need to add a disclaimer right here...... many of my photos are drive by's.  Brawn doesn't pull over in the city just so I can take a photo, which is hard anyway on a freeway right?  So I just kept my mouth shut (for the most part) and snapped through the windshield.

So back to St. Paul.

Stained Glass Mosaic Tray

I mentioned in my last post that it's mosaic week at Bliss Ranch.

The first project {here} was like stormy seas and this one is like a sunny day at the beach.

If I had any sharks we would have shark week too, but I'm fresh out.

All I've got is shards.... of glass.

I know, lame pun - just humor me.

Stained Glass Cook Book or Ipad Stand

It's shaping up to be mosaic week at Bliss Ranch.

I finished up a couple projects that graced my dining room table for a couple weeks.

If you spend any time on Pinterest or reading blogs like Homeroad, you know exactly what a trivet ipad holder is.

Bliss Ranch Takes a Turn on the Blog Tour

Angie over at Knick of Time invited me to participate in a tour around blogs - the proper introduction would be a Blog Tour, and it's sort of a "what makes you tick" type tour.

Angie passed the torch to me, so click over to check out her tour, then you can learn everything about her creative mind and what makes her tick.

And creative she is, so there is a LOT to learn!  She ticks a lot as well as tocks, hence her blog name, Knick of Time.

How about a piano turned into a desk?

Piano Desk 

Best Burgers?

Bliss Ranch has this gig over at Kirb Appeal - sometimes-usually-but not always - once a month.

I get to write stuff and I don't have to create a new project or even use any pictures, but I throw some in for visual interest and for Fiona.

Habit Burger

July's post, that really was done in August, is about burgers.

Huffington Post had an article about the best hamburgers around.  My pick came in at #2, and I don't think some even belonged on the list.

But different taste-buds for different folks, right?

Stop by Kirb Appeal and bite into my post to find out who was #1. 

Stargazer Lilies

I am sort of an accidental gardener.

About 5 years ago I picked up this bag of mystery flower bulbs, buy one get one free.  They were only .99¢, and I figured if they didn't grow or if I killed them, I wasn't out much coin.

At that time I really wasn't sure what a lily was, nor did I know there were over 100 different varieties.

Projects and Pillows

August is just about here.  Seems I spent so much time waiting for it to warm up that now Fall is right around the corner.

But I'm not done working on summer projects outside, in fact I've barely got started!

If I said my patio was a bit blah it would be accurate.  Sure, it's nice, peaceful, has lots of things to do, but it has almost no color.

There are lots of stones and natural elements, but nothing vibrant and happy looking other than some potted flowers I'm surprised I have kept alive.

This photo is from last year.  I hung the buckets again but I planted hostas in them instead of flowers because we have an over abundance of hostas.

Throw Back Thursday with Peter Alsop CD's

When my older kids were little it seemed appropriate on occasion to turn off my AC/DC or Queen and tune into something a bit more kid friendly.

Not sure that really worked, or mattered much, since when a certain 6 year old was 3 he walked around singing We Will Rock You.

And I'm also not sure why I thought kids had to listen to kid songs.

When I was seven I wasn't listening to Mary Poppings sing about spoonfuls of sugar.  I was listening to how Mick Jagger couldn't get no Satisfaction and working on being a California Girl for the Beach Boys.

Pink Play Kitchen Transformation Details

Last post I introduced you to a nightstand turned play kitchen, (you can see the pretty pictures {here}), and I thought it was so stinking cute I inserted pictures of the finished product without even a before photo of the nightstand.

Today I'm going to remedy that.

This is the before and after, in all its' basic nightstand glory...

Maison Blanche Debutante Pink Play Kitchen

Let's see now... I posted about plans to make a play kitchen back in March.

I included crazy cute ones from my Pinterest board for inspiration.

I had been stalking cast off entertainment centers and nightstands, but ultimately it needed to be compact in size, so nightstand won.

Plus I got a two'fer - two nightstands for a song.

Mud Pie Station

Sometimes I have these crazy thoughts, lets call them pie in the sky notions.

I see something somewhere that I have never seen before and I get all pie eyed with wonder.

Rhubarb Torte Dessert

Rhubarb.  

Growing up in Southern California I never heard of such a thing.  

My mid-western mother surely had, but I'm guessing there wasn't an over abundance of rhubarb in the produce isle in our suburb of Los Angeles. 

Fabric Spray Paint Shirt and Banner

Often times when someone is getting crafty around the Ranch it's #2 daughter and not me.

I walk by the dining room table and it gets the all clear, then 5 minutes later it's covered in a project.

She is a spur of the moment crafter.

 Her older brother bought some canvas, and some fabric paint then enlisted her to make a colorful banner for his band for an outdoor summer gig. 

At Kirby's Place

Maybe some of you can tell by my sometimes wordy project posts, I really do like to write.

I wrote a play when I was 10 years old and forced the neighborhood kids to act it out.  A murder mystery - I liked those even back then.  The victim was Mrs. Knotta Live.   I know.... oh brother!  What can I say, I was 10.

Hankie Noodle Dandy

Once upon a time on a pool noodle far far away, I made a wreath for the 4th of July.

I linked this up to a pool noodle party.

I was quite proud of myself so I'm reposting 

this from 2 years ago for one reason only.....

And that reason is how freaking clever I am sometimes!

But I'm not referring to the project - even though I liked it.

Turn Up The Radio...Bar

I'm working hard, you're working too -

we do it every day

For every minute I have to work -

I need a minute of play

Day in day out all week long -

things go better with rock....

Beware of Sharks.... Pool Sign

When crafty kids get bored often times they crack open the paint and design weird stuff.

On canvas.

At least that's how it works at my house.

Then when they're done painting a usually random vision, they expect me to hang it somewhere.

And more times than not, it just doesn't match my decor.

I wasn't hanging that shark in the kitchen.

Instead I got out some of the cedar lats I picked up for a couple bucks for a stack of about 50, as well as my sample pots of Maison Blanche paint and figured out where I could hang a great white shark.

Battle of the Gray Grey Greige Rugs

Gray.  That's how I've always spelled it.

With an A not an E.

Gray Choices

I know that's how I learned to spell it growing up in California, so how come everyone else in the world spells it grey? 

Someone answer that for me....
and while you're at it, answer which rug I like better, which would go best under my dining room table, and does greige go fine with a very deep espresso color?

Mailbox Makeover, Part 2

When last I typed about the mailbox here in Part 1, I was heading down the driveway with a bucket of water, scrub brush and paint in hand to complete the mailbox makeover.

Part of that actually took place.  I may or may not have scrubbed the rocks enough to get the cement grout off.

Painting with Maison Blanche at the Ranch

There is something stirring around Bliss Ranch.

Something smooth and creamy.

Summer Sandals for Sore Heels

This is a post about shoes.  Summer sandals to be exact.

It might seem like I have a shoe problem buying them up in three's, I assure you I do not.  I buy shoes only when I have too, it's agony for me.

And I also assure you..... I had too.

But I probably didn't need three, unless I wear them for 10 years to be cost effective like my last pair.

My 10 year old flip flops were mostly a flop.  I realized it the other day when I flipped them off and my son asked if that was dried blood on one.

Part 1 Mailbox Makeover

Sometimes a project around here isn't intended to reach perfection, it's just intended to reach done.

Like this mailbox.

Thin piece of cement board attached for starters

We can't see our mailbox from the house, it's 1/4 mile down our driveway.  Anyone else who drives by can see it, but they can't see the house.

It's the first point of contact for what may lie down the long and winding road.

It's a big box, the kind that can have a whole package stuffed inside it, and a few days ago it was in a sorry state of disarray.

Faux roof and cement board backing

At one time it had little black painted lats of wood on it which worked good till someone with a beer bottle wanted to toss the empty out of their car window before they hit town.

That was the downhill spiral of the wood, and one by one over the course of a year each lat fell or started to hang off the box leaving people to wonder if down the long driveway you would find a house with boarded up windows.

Notice the chicken?

So I got this brilliant idea to adhere landscape rocks to the mailbox and then it would match our stone pillars. 

I wasn't aiming for perfection,  I just wanted it a bit tougher so it could handle someone elses aim or anything that's thrown at it - literally.

Not spending any money was a top priority, so reusing what we had was necessity.   At any time the mailbox could fall victim to teenage pranks, and I didn't want to cry over an empty beer bottle that my fancy, pricey, new mailbox needed to be replaced.

All was going well....

I made a high tech tool out of a soda lid to use as a spreader for the glue.

The cement was mixed and poured over the rocks as a grout....

A trusty paint stirrer stick was used by Brawn to sculpt away excess cement....

And when I turned my back the man decided to use up some old paint on the mailbox roof without consulting me.

What the helll?  I know this was a low expectation project, but I wasn't going for little red barn mister! 

I didn't hold back, I let my feelings out...... I exclaimed that it looked like schidtt.

Lovingly of course.

I was promptly handed a paint brush.

Then, much like this post, the mailbox project came to a screeching halt.

Done or not, dirty rocks, red roof and all, it needed to be returned to it's post since it had already missed a couple days of mail delivery.

But first I got out a can of gray spray paint.

And now, because it's so much easier to haul a bucket of water 1/4 mile to wash the rocks instead of when it was right up by the house, I will pack up a scrub brush, take some gray paint, and stand on the road washing and painting for all the world to see.

And that has me mad.

Why?  Because I like to paint in my jammies. 

Guess I have to get dressed for this task. 

The mailbox and me will be back in a day or two, both of us dressed, but only one being revealed.

Painting Fabric Chairs, The Review

Two weeks ago in part A, I set out to paint our old upholstered wing back dining room chairs.  They no longer matched the rest of the set, one of them was ripped on the seat, dirty and 20 years old.  

Not to mention the sage green and cranberry colors were long gone in the dining room.

The fabric however was still nice and tight, the chairs were put together very well, especially considering the years of use - or abuse - they have had.

Spool Patio Table

When Brawn is left on his own, I never know what he's going to come up with.

On the to-do list last year was to make some sort of a patio table.

How Does My Garden Grow?

Recall I started seeds this year in my empty disposable coffee maker cups, you can read about that {here}.

They actually grew and needed to be planted but the weekends were flying by and out the window my vision of a big beautiful garden flew too.

So I went to Pinterest and entered these words..... "Vegetable Container Garden".

Finding My Style At From My Front Porch To Yours

My post this weekend is an invitation to stop in for a visit with Pamela at From My Front Porch To Yours, where she has a series called "How I Found My Style Sunday's.

I'm this Sundays guest, but just what is my style?

Here we are, in the thick of a Memorial Day weekend.  Many people are doing a bit of reflecting and attending ceremonies. 

Spring cleaning.

Camping, fishing, picnics. 

Some folks are firing up the bbq, and cracking open a cold one right at home.

That's me.  Happiest right in my own backyard. 

As our trees turn green

Brawn comes from a family of 12 siblings 7 boys, five girls - absorb for a moment how many in-laws that creates once they all get married.  

We used to do a big family weekend at random cabin resorts in Northern Minnesota where we could all bond over bonfires and beer.  I guess that weekend was really for all us in-laws and outlaws to get to know each other, because those 12 kids had bonded years ago.

Anyway, after 15 years of doing that, some of the siblings decided to group together and buy their own resort on a lake.  At the time we were asked if we wanted in on that venture, we declined. 

Minnesota is known as the land of 10,000 lakes, and if you are fortunate enough to live on one you really have a year round resort right in your backyard.

Home Sweet Home

One of our boys asked us how come we didn't want to be a fourth partner in the lake resort.

Well son....because we have our own resort everyday, so we didn't need to pack up the car for a second job of cutting grass 2 hours away.

And hanging with the in-laws wasn't how I wanted to spend every weekend.   Yeah, well I'm sure most of them didn't want to hang with me that much either. 

So instead I had time to leisurely find my style right at home as we created a place where kids could still make houses out of appliance boxes...

And as they grow up roast hot dogs, have a brew or two, invite friends over, and do it all right in our own backyard.

Last Night

So if you would like to read what I think the style of Bliss Ranch is, ya'll are gonna have to head down South to Texas and see what secrets I shared at From My Front Porch To Yours.

$20 Bistro Set

When last I typed, I told of my fabric painting of two wing-back chairs.

I had a little issue....... I ran out of paint.  I remedied the problem and they are now ready to be waxed and will be coming soon.

Almost two weeks later.  Story of my life.

So in the meantime I crossed a few other things off on my to-do list.

I picked up this little bistro set at a garage sale last Fall for a deck off the master bedroom.  I thought I was getting a good deal at $20 for the three piece set.

Painting Fabric With Paint

It was a dark and cloudy day.....  (really)

I was out of scheduled posts......  (which took 3 months to happen)

At 6:53 the night before, I read a post from Andi at Delusions of Ingenuity........

And by noon the next day I was painting wing back chairs with Annie Sloan Old White Chalk paint and CeCe Caldwells' Virginia Chestnut, on a quest to use up all my different remnants of paints.

Also very skeptical of the process, but I trust Andi's opinion.

An Essay on Mom Stuff

An essay on random Mom stuff on Mothers Day.

By me.

I'll try to keep it short and simple, since sometimes I really do think I could write a book on the subject of parenthood.

But there are already plenty out there.

I'm an expert at almost nothing, but that's not to say there are not things I don't do well.  Even things I do very well, I wouldn't claim to be an expert on - just because that's the way I am, you know?

I can paint a wicked dresser or a dresser wicked, and maybe use clever wit like nobody's business.

However there is always someone better at or more learned in the things I do well, and claiming to be an expert at any of them seems boastful.

So not being an expert, it's hard for me to be boastful on things I might be good at.

With the exception of one thing.

Being a mom.

On that I boast here and now.... I am an expert.

I've long thought it, but would never actually admit I did.  For gosh sakes, aren't experts suppose to always be right about whatever it is they are experts about,  and everything they do turns out, well... perfect and expert like?

My credentials are hung on the wall.   Collages of hand made art work made specifically for me on Mudrs Day.  Mudrs Day from a certain 6 year old who spells the way he speaks.

And while my credentials didn't come from any famous University, they did come from my toughest critics.

Six of the harshest critics who know my expertise inside out...... #1 son, #1 daughter, #2 son, #2 daughter, #3 son and #4 son.

Which adds up to six.

I'm sure I gleaned tidbits of information here and there from books.  My two favorites are oldies, very oldies, that were passed on to me.

Those books don't deal with things like violence in school or limiting the internet, because both were unheard of when the books were originally written.

It's the basics, just the basics.

And the basics seem like a good place to start on the unintended road to being an unintended expert.

1. Children Are Wet Cement
I don't know if the current version is the same as the 30 year old one I was given.  Parts stuck with me, and not only about my own kids, but about the way I treat other peoples kids.  All these years later I should go back and read it again, just to see what it was that made an impression on me.

 

2. Making Children Mind Without Losing Yours.
This book too is in reprint, but the one I read was a 30 year old edition.  I have no idea what it's about anymore, I just remember thinking the suggestions seemed realistic - and maintaining my sanity was a top priority.



I probably read other books from time to time, and of course magazine articles, but knowing me I also "filed" most advice in the round bin. 

Saying I'm an expert at this motherhood gig doesn't mean I'm saying it always goes smooth, that I am a perfect mother, or that my kids are perfect.

Far from it, in fact those many imperfections are what taught me, the imperfect is how I gained my expertise.

It is said you learn more from your mistakes......

My kids like to point those mistakes out to me.

Of course I'm not the only expert out there, but I am the mistress of my own domain.

The six critics can heckle me all they want.  The proof is in the pudding.

I don't mind if they "lovingly" point out my shortcomings, or where I made mistakes, because as I look right back at them I'm reassured I did more right than wrong.

I get heckled about facts like; there is sugared cereal now in the cabinet.  The older ones think that means the younger ones are spoiled.  I hate to tell them it really isn't that well thought out, it just means I buy what's on sale sometimes now.

Or maybe it means I no longer care what someone might think if they see a box of evil Frosted Flakes in my shopping cart.

With age comes wisdom.  (And sometimes lack of).

I'm wise enough not to buy Frosted Flakes often, but I have the wisdom now that I don't really care what anyone thinks of my parenting if I do.

I like to believe it wasn't the lack of sugared cereal that caused the older kids to turn out well.

Certainly I had great dreams of what my children would become by using the talents they have, but really there was only one thing I truly wanted out of life for them.

To be happy.

That's the goal I set out with for each of my harshest critics.

So when they heckle me and "lovingly" point out where I went wrong with what I fed them, or the rules I set, it really doesn't matter much to me.

I met my goal.

Happy Mothers Day to all moms fumbling through the process.  

I hope you meet your goals too.  

Better yet, I hope your kids are pleased you met those goals.

In the end it really only matters what your harshest critics think of your expertise.

Betty's Vase

My friend Betty wanted a new vase for an empty corner in her living room.  Betty has never read my blog so I can tell you that while I love shopping with Betty, buying a vase was no easy task.  Hours.  It took hours.  TWO FRIGGEN HOURS!!!  At the same store in the same isle.

Betty found a ceramic one she liked but it really wasn't tall enough, and the black, gray and white pattern made it look a bit too zebra-ish but it did have the colors she liked.

Other vases had too wide a mouth on top.

Then Betty found an all black metal vase.  She thought it was blah, but the right size.

That's when I opened my mouth with the words I believed would get me the helll out of that store...... "I can paint that one for you to look similar to the ceramic one you like".