PAM's Stamp-a-Stack!

Wanted to share with you the darling cards I made this summer at Pam's Stamp-a-Stacks. Pam is one of my Downlines in Stampin' Up and she has really demonstrated her love of stamping by sharing and creating so many great ideas with her customers... I'm so proud of her.. and excited to see her talent spread!

And watch tomorrow's blog will show you

 the darling Door Prize I won.... woo hoo!

PPP

Or better known as Pam's Perfect Prizes!!!  At every SAS Pam holds, she has door prizes ready for everyone.. and I mean everyone.... no one misses out on winning something! And here's what I won this month....

Stationary Box with four matching cards:

As I explained yesterday, Pam is my Downline under the Stampin' Up system... my "daughter" if you will... and as I mentioned she has taught so many and spread her encouragement and excitement that she also has several Downlines of her own... so that makes me their grandma... hee hee hee... right?

Here she is with her Downline Daughters..
from left to right is Wanda, Margie, Tina, Pam, and Julia



and there I sit.. the "grandma of the group"...
Love you girls!!!
xoxoxoxoxo

Homeward Bound

Leavin' on a jet plane.. that's me today.... will be back in Poway at the Reed Ranch... void of apple trees... but probably ready to sleep in my own bed...

see ya soon

xo

me

ps of course Jerry will be still in Maine..

working hard on the apple farm I'm sure

Last Day in Paradise

Well I can't believe how quickly the week has gone by.... and today is my last day on the farm.... Carol has been such an incredible host.... I treasure the memories we've made and experience she's given us to enjoy New England in the Fall!

Carol's husband Jim will arrive after I'm gone... and Jerry will be staying on to help Carol and Jim set up for the Open House on the 9th... I have to head back to work (gosh I've totally forgot about everything there... that's cool).... but glad I get to recoop a couple days before I head into the office on Monday.

Not sure how much weight I've gained from all the apple pies and cider.. not to mention the incredible cooking Carol has lavished us with... Carol we love you and so appreciate the friendship we share together!

Thank you for a beautiful experience....

we will treasure this vacation forever!

Autumn Air

The colors are spectacular! It literally looks like the trees are on fire! And the smell of the autumn air is incredible! I can't wait to download all my photos to show you guys when we get back home!

Having a blast in New England.... I know this won't be our last time!

Missing my little Brayden...
I'll bet he's playing in the sprinklers right now!
xoxoxoxoxo

Oh, and miss everyone else too... hee hee hee

Let the Quilting Begin!

Here's the first group of Quilters Carol had at her newly restored Barn.. many are very dear friends who are helping her prepare for her Open House on October 9th... sure looks like they had a blast!

....and all quilting weekends include lunch on the deck!!

How cool is that!

Barn Restoration

In August of 2010, Carol and her father Francis Fenton began restoring their 100+ year old barn to turn it into Carol's life long dream of a Quilter's Quarters.... here's a picture journey of the progress thus far.... in just a couple of weeks, October 9th is the Open House...

August 2010

The 1800 vintage barn at

Sandy Rivers Orchard

Restoration begins....

At 95 years young, here's Francis
beginning the journey... he's the
third generation to run the farm.















 
























Here's Carol in August 2010

"The barn is now standing up straight. Huge beams are supporting "her". This is where I am putting 3 big windows that open. To my left will be a door that leads to the the farmhouse."









One of the guys makes a "chandelier" from 3 old railroad lanterns and a rusty old piece of a harness from a horse and wagon.......






Carol put up these cedar shingles. It makes the barn smell so good. The whole front half of the barn will be shingles inside. The rest of the barn will have barn boards and sheet rock with the beams exposed.






In October 2010, the Sandy River Grange was closing so they offered this wonderful Round Oak Wood Stove to Carol to use in the barn. It's is about 9 feet tall and they will have her decorative trim re-nickeled. She's so happy to give this stove a home s it continues to warm Mercer residents. The stove has stood in the Sandy River Grange for decades. Carol remembers seeing it when she was young and attending Grange dinners. What a sweet way to bring back her childhood memories for her...





By November 2010 look at the progress..  Carol was very fortunate to return to Maine  to view the progress on the barn. Wow! What a difference! The cedar shingles are completed as well as the bookcase. In the photo you can see the "stair ladder" to the sleeping loft.

The deck was built in two days.... It is made of cedar planks and is beautiful. She wasn't able to see the railings that will go around the deck, but each post (there are 15) will have a solar light in the top. It should be very beautiful at night. It's becoming her dream come true... she says" I can't tell you how happy the barn makes me feel. Many days and a few cold nights I would just sit in the barn and think, plan and dream of our "Grand Opening".

See that crazy bench she's sitting on? Well it is all from wood that she didn't want to throw away...each piece has a story of course, so beautiful although you can't sit too close to the stove.

 Christmas 2010

Can it get any more beautiful? There are Christmas lights on the deck besides the solar lights on the posts and rope lighting outlining the barn......it must be beautiful at night. Carol put this picture on a coffee mug so she could look at it every morning.

 January 2011
This is the new bench that was built into the center post of the barn. That back piece is from her great grandfather's house across the road. They decide to call the house the "Quilter's Quarters".




Carols' back in March 2011.... in the midst of snowstorms.... here she is shoveling a trench from the house to the barn..







Here's the new bed in the front loft.... the first sign of human occupancy!

Carol's carpenter made her cutting table...isn't it fantastic? He made it with 7 different woods. she could only remember cherry, butternut, and oak... I can just picture her cutting her first quilt on it....


A great artist.. makes a great mess!
























May 2011 - Carol sits on one of her favorite benches made from the wood out of the original barn!





August 2011 ~ the new sitting room... complete with  the two quilts from Anna Mae's vintage quilt collection.... and here's Carols' grandmothers' sewing machine







Looks a little different than Carols...




She's about ready to have her first quilting guests for the weekend!!!  Kind of a trial run.. getting ready for that Open House

And here's a quilt with Lone Star pattern Carol made for the local Mercer Meeting House...




She hard work and dedication are about to be paid off.... watch for her first session of the Quilters Quarters.....