New Spaces

The room addition at Paul Allen and Katie's house is complete. It turned out nice. Katie is still working on a few things to hang, but you can see how much space it added to their home. You enter through the door from the hallway. It is honestly right as you enter the home. Behind the wall that the bookcase is on is their laundry room with the new storage closet.

Pictured above is the desk (on the left) that Jeff had in his bedroom as a teen and probably before. They chose to keep it because it has great storage in it for their important stuff. I am actually ordering them a new kid's table and 2 chairs in white instead of the one above. That was is from a thrift store and one of the chairs broke. I told them I would get them what Katie would actually like as a Christmas gift. Christmas will be here before we know it.

Below is a loveseat they found at a thrift store and it is in fantastic shape. She has had to put blankets on it because the dogs love looking out that window to the road.

Then the cubbies were a Facebook marketplace find. It is going to be a great place to play and shut the door if you are too tired to make sure it all got picked up, and it will keep the actual living room much tidier.

I was just thrilled for them. Katie has a 3 day weekend this coming weekend and is planning to get the baby's room painted. I can't wait to see the color. She has shared her idea and I know it is going to be so pretty. Someone Paul Allen worked with just gave them a crib. It is gray and in perfect shape also. They decided to just leave Miles in his crib and I am certain myself that is a wise idea. He is not ready to give up his bed. There is no need to upset that apple cart.

It is coming together and January 21st will be here before we know it. I can't wait to share the name. It is lovely if it remains and I am thinking it will.

I am sharing another picture of our new fencing. It looks so nice. It won't be this color long, but this shot really shows how much brush is gone on the other side. The trees are all still there and our view like that hasn't changed, but no vines climbing up over the fence.

Here is a photo of the trees standing mostly in water during this time of year. The water level will recede quite a bit during the winter months, so hopefully we can tackle these during those months. The water was up a little the morning I took this. As of right now, they say the hurricane is headed west of us and will most likely fizzle out. Thank goodness.

Last Sunday, the kids got together to take the boys to the Fort Walton Beach famous Goofy Golf. It has been around since Jeff was their age and is a landmark in our area for locals. It is kind of off the beach path so very rarely do you see tourists there. Our family has played many games. A young couple about Lindsay's age who grew up here and have a local bait and tackle shop have bought it and plan to keep it going. They have redone some of it and are hoping to keep it very affordable for family fun. We will continue to support it. 

The three boys had their first trip there. Rumor has it Jeff got a spanking as a little one for trying to climb the dinosaur.

Those three have my heart. All are doing well and growing up so fast. I think I am going to love having a new baby to start the new year off.

That is really all I have this week. I can't believe it is almost Thanksgiving. I need to get my mind wrapped around what I need to buy and do before then. We will be putting up Christmas before I know it. Most are doing it now, but I am not in that camp. 

I hope to share some more things as time allows me that are not just family and stitching. We will see. My days get away from me. I always have great ideas but I move slowly these days and couple that with seeing about so many for which I am grateful to do, it puts the brakes on blogging.

Also, this has been the warmest fall ---I am not complaining, but even the summer loving Sandy is thinking it is not like fall at all.

Finishing Up October

I finished up October with strep. I have no idea where I got it and fortuately no one else had it but me in the family. It was not fun and I am looking forward to feeling better as we move along in to November. I sort of feel like my immune system has been down lately and as someone said my stress has most likely not helped. I think that is very true. I have let a few things get me the last few months. One of which is trying to keep Mama upbeat. That is not my easiest job and at this point I don't feel like that is going to magically get better. I do what I can, but I am one who frets over it all.

In other ending October things, we got a new fence down. It looks amazing. The neighbors agreed to help out with it. There was an old chain link fence on the other side and vines and underbrush had just overtaken the other side and were so hard to keep off ours. Our fence was 40 years old, so Jeff approached them about cleaning it all up and they agreed. It looks amazing.

The guys that did it covered the posts on the other side leaving the neighbor's side looking more finished.

It was kind of nice having it open, but Jeff wanted a fence and with dogs and kids I suppose he is correct in wanting one.

The neighbor's gained a good bit of land back from all the underbrush and just overall mess over there on that side. Now, they do have just dirt and will need some of those spring leaves from the live oaks to cover it up. They are coming back in a week to work on it some. They have even agreed to let Jeff get some quotes on getting those gigantic pines down that are more in the water now that on land. They have to be some of the biggest pines left on Choctawhatchee Bay, so that makes me sad. As I said though, they are going to fall at some point anyway and they are frightening in a hurricane. Since I didn't take a picture for reference these are the ones right on the property line that you see outside my kitchen table area. 

*****

I finished up the Advent calendar. It has a white border rather than red like the one I did back in 2020. That was mostly because I couldn't find a red I liked. 

That feels good to say, "This is done." While I love stitching, I don't love quilting. Nope ---not for me!

*****

In the words of Palmer, the cutest little Mickey Mouse roadster you have ever seen. "I like Happy Halloween, not Scary Halloween." Me too, baby.

Here are the three grandsons in their costumes ...

First up is Tucker and Palmer. Tucker is Donatello of the Ninja Turtles. They are back in vogue. Palmer chose Mickey Roadster and I can wholeheartedly say he could not have loved his costumer more.

Miles was a pumpkin. They mostly sent me videos so I don't have a good one with his little pumpkin bucket. He loved it all. Really understood it this year.

I thought this next picture was so cute. You can see the excitement in his eyes about Paul Allen carving the pumpkin.

All done and super excited about it.

*****

The room is completed at Paul Allen and Katie's house. They enclosed their one car garage. A portion of was already enclosed to make a laundry one at some point. The room is going to be a multipurpose room. All of these were from last week before I fell ill.

This first one shows the new room closed in. As you can see the stickers were still in the windows. Her dad it all and it looks great. Looks like it was always that way. They have a huge lot and could build out to the right and the back and have a huge yard still.

The inside which Paul Allen helped with some. Katie's dad had the tile in his storage so that was a help on the expenses. The room has door into the existing hallway that Katie had prettied up a while back, but it still looks great.

Paul Allen took this one so you can see it is going to be nice. Katie can now get to work on the baby room. They needed to move stuff out of the bedroom for that to happen.

This is the laundry room that was once a part of the garage. Katie's dad built her a closet in there where the door had been to come in from the garage. It is going to be a nice addition for storage.

Again all of these were taken in the height of the building. Katie's dad poured them a sidewalk out that door that you see above that goes our to the sideyard were they have a storage room.

It runs to the driveway. I know they are ready to get it all cleaned up and have done lots since I got sick.

I am super excited to see it all finished. 

*****

I know everyone goes straight to Christmas these days on November 1st, but I so love Thanksgiving and quite frankly it is not until November that it even remotely feels like fall. It appears there is something tropical trying to form late next week which is holding in the warm.  I don't mind the warm, but want no more tropical. I do remember a tropical storm in November 1985. We got out of school early one day. Those things are important to teachers! I am not interested in too much rain, just some as it hasn't rained at all in October. It is pretty dry, so just some rain will do. No torrential stuff nor wind, please!

Welcoming in November,

Sandy