Summer in Maine

Hello everyone,
Well here it is August and I have not posted on my blog since..... hmmmmm.....last year? Yikes, time goes by so fast. I love reading blogs, but have to be "inspired", "in the mood", "ready" to write. Summer is just fleeing by and soon I will be back to working full time at my school. So I have been trying to fill every minute of every day with projects, reading, visiting, cleaning etc. Each night when I lay my head down, I can say that I accomplished a lot in the day.

Much of the month of June and July I was stricken with a severe case of poison ivy after working on moving some of my perennials to the side of the yard/ woods. Three rounds of prednisone and lots of oatmeal baths, creams, etc. and I can now finally get through a day without feeling like the itching will drive me insane. I do not wish it on anyone and unfortunately, my daughter now has it but not from our woods, somewhere else.  The plants are still not taken care of because I do NOT want to go near the woods again!! OH well, maybe someday it will be taken care of.

Some of my blue flags that I want to move to the side of the lawn.

Other things happening? Lots of cleaning out of closets and our basement, but I will post about that and my projects, etc. in the next post. In the mean time, enjoy these last days of your summer. I know I will!

FALL AT BAR HARBOR

It's the end of October which means the foliage is almost gone here in Maine. This past weekend my husband and I traveled up the Maine coast to visit Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. What a bright, sunny, glorious day, Saturday was! The leaves just sparkled in the sun. Most of the reds were gone, but the golden and amber leaves were truly striking. 

We drove up the Park loop road to the top of Cadillac Mountain. 

There was such a strong wind up there, that we didn't stay long, 

but the views were absolutely gorgeous! 

There is nothing like being at the top of a mountain, looking all around you 

to make you feel small and insignificant. But I am a child of God. 

To the world I'm one but to God I'm the world. 

He loves us so much! 

To Him, we ARE SIGNIFICANT! 

Amen? 

In addition to a weekend trip to see the foliage, we were celebrating our 34th wedding anniversary. 

My gift to my husband was a night stay at a beautiful Bed and Breakfast called the Primrose Inn. 

I came across this place on the web and noticed that the owners were a part of a Christian Innkeepers Association. That finalized my decision to go there, but also checked out their website and was sold on the details of the description of the inn. 

It was a very good decision!! We had a beautiful room and their hospitality far exceeded our expectations! Take a look at this lovely bedroom. 

On Sunday we had a lovely breakfast provided by the inn, then parted ways and headed down to the little town of Bar Harbor, just a block away. We walked the foot path along the shore and enjoyed the warmth of the sun and the scenic ocean views. 

The shore path led us along a beautiful stretch of coast land with huge mansions. 

Can you imagine living here? 

Or here? 

Both of these places had unbelievable views of the Atlantic Ocean and the many islands off the coast. 

Our walk ended through a path back to the little town area. 

Shops and restaurants galore! 

It was a beautiful weekend to get away. 

And, of course we had to stop at some antique shops on the way home! 

Daughter's Etsy site

Feel free to check out my daughter's Etsy site too! She loves vintage clothing and accessories. She models her own clothing that she sells and has a very creative eye. Let us know what you think of our shops!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/chicorigins

Bleary eyed from sewing.............

It's been a great weekend. I have spent a good part of the time being creative and sewing new pillows to put onto my Etsy shop. I finally have a place to exert all of this creativity that the Lord has given to me. I just itch to create- mostly in the area of my home and it's surrounding.
I read so many blogs and just get itching to make things. And I love older, vintage items. It's fun to go on a search for that unique item to bring home. Now I look for fabrics, napkins, tablecloths, bedspreads, sweaters, clothing- anything that I can fashion into and use in a pillow. Today I got a beautiful vintage yellow chenille twin bedspread that will be re-purposed into several pillows. Can't wait to get started on that!
In the mean time, take a look at some of my recently sewn pillows on my Etsy shop.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/annieca107

Thanks !

God bless your week.

The beginning..............

September, 2010

    I have decided to start a blog to share about some things I am doing and thinking about. It's fall here in Maine; one of my favorite seasons. We have had the most fantastic summer weather this year. Better than any I can remember. And it has continued into the fall. The air is crisp, clean and refreshing. Sun glitters on the leaves which are just beginning to turn their reds, oranges and golden yellows. 

    Apple season is here and many friends are announcing and posting pictures of their treks into the orchards for those beautiful juicy apples. It's that time of year to make apple sauce, crisp and pies. Yum! I haven't gotten mine yet, but look forward to it. I have a chinois that I use to make my applesauce. I used to use my mother in law's which originally belonged to Ed's grandmother, but now I have my own and can't wait to use it. Not to mention the lovely smell of apples and cinnamon in the house. 

     I made my green tomato relish today. Just a small batch and tried to alter the recipe to match the amount of tomatoes that I had. It came out a little more spicy than usual, but still a wonderful flavor. It should be enough to last me until next year. It was my mother's recipe and she taught me how to make it. I think of her so much each day. She has been in heaven for almost a year now and some day I will see her again!! 

    I'm also going to start sewing again. I love to sew. And I love fabric! Soon I will share what I am sewing and why. But for now, I have been busy shopping for and collecting vintage fabrics in the form of napkins, hankies, bedspreads, tablecloths, and some clothing. I will share about that again in another post. 

    For now, I need to begin to organize the basement in order to have a work space down there. I'm looking forward to having that done soon, but it's a lot of work. In the mean time, I'm enjoying this season and staying cozy warm. :) 

    Until next time, look for God moments in your days. He is always there. Sometimes we need to just stop long enough to look for them. Have a blessed week! 

- Anne