Sending Love to Idaho

Our children are all together out West!
Three year old Nina looking out the plane window as they land, "Snow, snow! mommy there is snow everywhere!

Here, all grandchildren are together with a vista behind them...near Boise!

Oldest grandchild, "Lilia the Beauty", with her blonde momma, Laura and her uncle, resident of Idaho, Andrew! [Laura and Andrew being our dear children....!!!]

Meanwhile, Steve photographs me as I put elastic into pajamas for all the little grandchildren....I knitted hats too! This package should arrive for them today!

I had to put a heart full of dinosaurs on Sophie's pj's or she would have wanted those I made for her cousin! Doing extra embellishment for Sophie, led to putting a gray fleece kitty on Nina's! Sewing for twins requires trying to keep things balanced! No favoritism! I love them both so much!!!! And the other 3 too!
Looking forward to more photos on my daughter's FB page....sort of like being along with them!
I'm still here in Arkansas, working on my kitchen cabinets, sanding and painting and new hardware! The chalk paint idea didn't work too well...back to sanding!
And stripping out old contact paper. The blow dryer REALLY helps!

First week of November, 2 kinds of painting,and some sewing

My last painting class, for the time being, was Tuesday. I worked on this painting!

It captures 2 of my daughter's children! Sophie and Bindley. They were out on their front steps hugging affectionately!

I will be painting their sister Nina soon...using this photo....

.......along with this photo of Nina stirring up a birthday cake for her mom! By using both pictures, I am free to paint her without making an exact copy!

A few years ago, I had painted their older sister, Lilia in her ballet pose... ( now I find myself wanting to paint this again, too!)

 

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The last few weeks, I have also tried sewing garments from knit fabrics, new to me! Here are some dresses and leggings for the little girls! I need to get them mailed!

 

 

 

And this week, sewing tunic tops for myself to wear with leggings! Love the Butterick and Vogue patterns from designer/artist Katherine Tilton! Fun to sew because they are so different!

And leggings are fun and comfortable now that cold weather is coming!

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Picking up paint brushes again, for another kind of painting.....kitchen cabinets!

 

First, stripping contact paper from inside the cabinets....a blow dryer makes it easier! The contact glue is strong! Still, slow going! Then we paint the insides glossy white!

 

These green kitchen cabinets were painted years ago (by me).... And now need an update. Chalk paint is promising, no sanding! Then new hardware.....here is the old green kitchen.. the new color.....taupe...cotton grey from Behr....

Here it is! With antique iron hardware. The old and the new together here....lots more days of work to get everything changed from green to taupe!

Back in a few weeks with the finished kitchen ....may even get the parquet floor stained and countertops refinished!

 

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Meanwhile the autumn color is still showing out in the yard! Our young, struggling red maple is full of leaves, not too brilliant this year, but definitely red.

The back and side yards have yellow maples as we see in this photo taken when Steve was up on our roof yesterday.

Now out to pick the last peppers from the garden patch!