Here We Go...

Thank you so much for the welcome back messages on my previous post!  It warmed my heart, I honestly didn't know if there would be anyone here when I returned.  I tried to answer all of your comments, but if you didn't get an email it's because you came through as no-reply blogger, meaning

you need to change your settings to accept emails. I appreciate the encouragement I received so much.

I'm going to give just a few highlights of my spring and summer today to get you caught up. If you follow me in instagram you may have already seen some of these, but for those of you who aren't on that platform, this is for you :)

You may remember that last fall I painted the back wall in the kitchen with blackboard paint.  I had it on hand and was itching for a change and since I am prone to wake up some days full of determination to change SOMETHING, and since it was fall and the days were getting dark and moody I took the plunge.  I liked it, I really did, until spring when it just seemed too dark.

 So I grabbed some wallpaper online and lightened things up.  This is a Joanna Gaines paper and I did this area with one roll.  It was touch and go but I made it work, and I love how much lighter and brighter it looks.  I also decided to paint the pantry cupboard a glossy black as an accent and I love that one touch of dark in my white kitchen.  Who knows what I'll do next, but I think this will be staying for a while. I love it!

 Earl took up beekeeping this summer and it has been so fascinating! I have gone out to help him a couple times. Fully suited up because I'm, (ahem) allergic, as in epipen allergic.  As I said, I have the head to toe gear and I have been amazed that the bees are calm and friendly. Earl often doesn't bother with full gear.  This is him and his Uncle harvesting the frames a few weeks ago to extract the honey.
We got around 30 lbs. this year!  Having our own honey is fun and just feels special.  Did you know some of the honey in the grocery store has added fructose, or sugar water?  I found that out recently and it made me even more happy that we have our own and know it isn't adulterated. 

 This little peanut has been keeping me busy. I see my darling every week. Even with a broken arm and surgery our weekly visits continued thanks to her mom bringing her to see me.  I had to have someone put her in my arms but she was happy to cuddle and I was so happy to have her!  She turns 1 year old next month.

 She has changed so much in such a short time!  This is Clara and her Aunt Lauren in May. Lauren came home for a birthday visit and Clara slept over so she could have some quality time with her Aunt.  She adores her Aunt and Uncle even though they live far away and she doesn't see them much.
And of course, they adore her!

I love, love, love this baby. This grandparent thing is the bomb!  I'll try to reign it in but oh my goodness the love is overwhelming. 

So that was my summer (minus the boring recovery bits), tell me what the highlights of your summer were!

And she's back....

Whew! It's been a while hasn't it?  Did you think I dropped off the face of the earth? Nope, here I am, again.  It's been March since I posted and to be truthful I've wondered if I would ever come back to this little corner.  I got busy with Spring, you all know it's my favorite right?  Planting the garden, visiting my darling grandbaby, and a trip to Pennsylvania to hang out with my far away daughter and son in law for a week.  It was a happy and busy Spring and I just kind of felt burned out here. I have  been posting since 2007, and was wondering where it was all going. Hadn't I pretty much said everything?  And of course once you get out of the habit, it's easy to stay out of the habit.

Also, on July 7 I was racing around the kitchen and tripped on the dishwasher door I had left open. That ended in a fractured humerus (upper arm near my shoulder), and 2 weeks after that I had major surgery.  To say most of my summer was a blur would be totally accurate.  I'm healed, feeling great and have finished rehab for my shoulder so all is well, but July through September were pretty much lost.  I was, however, still able to hold that precious baby grand of mine :)

So that's the long story condensed.  I'm still not sure how long I will keep posting here. Maybe once I get back into it some fresh inspiration will strike.  I kind of feel like blogs are dying though. Do you?  How many of my friends are still out there blogging?  Can you give me a shout and tell me where you think it's all heading?  I have been posting on instagram, I have to say it's a whole lot easier, faster and less time consuming.

If you're reading this give me shout. Is anyone even going to see this anymore?  Here's hoping :)
If we've lost touch I would love to hear what you did with your summer too!