I don't like Bad news.....

Especially when I am on a vacation....

Last summer when we were in Germany for the birth of Grandgirl*2,

we got a phone call from Daughter*2....

"Can we get this carpet up without dad's help, Mom?"

USA End of the Call ~ "Dad.....? I think there is mildew on the wall in the 

exercise room....what do you want me to do?"

OH GREAT!!!!! I am thinking, since I can hear her voice on the phone.

Germany end of the call ~"Get the box fan out of the garage and put it in the room, 

use the old towels to absorb as much of the water as you can first."

USA ~"There doesn't seem to be any water, but the carpet is damp..."

"Hmmmm...this might not be too hard.....but that is MUD in the window!"
And on the left, you can see where the moisture loosened the paint on the wall...

Germany ~ "Okay, do what you can, we will take care of it when we get home, 

don't worry about it...."

USA ~ "Okay, I will do that, Thanks, Dad!"

So, when we got home three weeks later, things seemed to be dry.....

A week later, there was water on the floor again, and it was farther into the room this time...

"This is gonna be a pain! Why did we ever glue down this pad and carpet?.... Oh, I remember...."
Light gray on the left is cement, the rest of the dark gray, is carpet pad stuck to the cement...

Water was still getting into the room! I put the fan in again and decided that we had to take all the storage boxes we also had in the room out to dry and to see what I could salvage.

The end of the room I am sitting on is where our treadmill and weights bench sits.

The other end of the room had a weight machine and boxes of things I needed to go through and organize / find a place for/ throw out! I hauled everything out, some 25 boxes that would hold 40 pounds of apples, a children's desk, batting for quilts, a gate for child safety,

a Nordic Track ski machine, boxes of things I use for wedding receptions
and two old computers that were in here...

That indentation in the wall? The wall was so wet my pushing against the carpet with my feet ,
to get it off the pad, pushed my body INTO the wall...

I had called several friends to possibly get some assistance, but no one was home...

I was pretty impressed with myself, emptying that room all by myself...
except the very large exercise equipment.

My hubby came home for lunch and he was amazed that I got that all done by myself.

Daughter*4 had a high fever and strep throat and literally slept all day, she

was rather surprised when she saw what I had done as well.

Hubby and I hauled the other exercise equipment out and then began the carpet saga....

Pad glued to the cement, and carpet glued to the pad.

"Why would you do that?...., you ask...."...I am not going to tell you!"

TOO LONG OF A STORY...you know I cannot tell a story without ALL the details..

But I LOVE this carpet, even after 20 years, I would buy this carpet again and

replace it with the exact carpet, stretched in the room instead, of course,
if it were still manufactured....*big sigh*...

Looking closely at the window, you can see where a water line, or two, where the window well was
filled with water, and leaked into the window, and in between the foundation
and the interior walls....but we didn't know that YET!

That carpet pad glue was SO sticky, we could NOT get the pad off of the cement without
whatever that thing in my hand is called...that is a 17' x 11' room...
not gonna be fun or quick to do. So, I push and rolled the carpet with my feet
and it would come off of the carpet pad, but still not easily.
Even when hubby and Daughter*4 pulled on it while I pushed
it would hardly budge...I was a little overwhelmed.
We got about a third of the carpet off and had to stop for awhile.
My hubby is a farmer and works six long days a week.
Luck for us, SonIL*2 and my nephew came to see us!
SonIL*2 is 6'7" and Nephew is about 6' tall.
Those wonderful 20 somethings young men pulled hard on that carpet
while I pushed with me feet, and got it all pulled up in a matter of about 10 minutes! We rolled
the carpet up, lifted it to their shoulders and took it to our deck where it could dry in the summer heat.
I turned the top side down the next day so it wouldn't fade while it dried.
This carpet was so heavy when full of water!

Look at me, talking, as usual!!!!

A day or so later, we rolled it back up and put it back in the exercise room, only to have it get all wet again when we watered the lawn really well, and found the exercise room,

our food storage room, our son's room and half our basement family room soggy with water!!!!!

It was then we realized that it wasn't just water from excessive lawn watering by the

person we had water the grass while we were gone.

There was actually a break in the water line in our sprinkler system,

and all that water went straight into the window well and down between the walls...

No more water on that section of the lawn with THOSE SPRINKLERS!!!

This is how the carpet was when it got wet again!!!

So we hauled it back out to the deck and got it dry again and put it in the family room. 

By that time the family room carpet was all dry and we had taken out the wet carpet pad so we could save the carpet. What a pain....but it worked. The food storage room we emptied and hauled and tossed and scrubbed walls and painted with Kilz and repainted with the help of 

a few gal friends of mine and a SisIL, I was so grateful!!!

After quite some time, we got the room to this stage, ready to redo it.

So, hubby tried multiple methods to get the carpet pad off the floor, and it was finally off. 

We pulled off the sheet rock where I made the indentation to see what it looked like behind the sheet rock. To our happy surprise, there was no mildew or mold on the inside of anywhere

along that wall. THAT was a HUGE relief! There was mildew along the bottom edges of one wall, 

so I vacuumed it off and bleached it and waited...

Nothing ever showed up again, I was so glad! 

About two months ago, we started the exercise room redo!!! I painted the bottom

section of the three remaining walls with Kilz, just to make sure everything would stay

clean, even though it had before.  We are almost finished with the room, but still have a bit to do.

Here is a picture of what it looked like right after we started.

The carpet layers...had to get them in when we could, which was BEFORE the paint...

Kilz painted on, carpet covered...ready, set, paint!

And at least three coats of paint later....

And what did I do while painting some of that paint on those walls?

I listened to the five hour Pride and Prejudice, what else!

When I get all the furniture in and everything settled, 

I will post about it!

I am SO tired of painting this room, and I even had help...

and a have just a bit more to do. Then, I will be done!

Hey, I will have FINISHED SOMETHING!!!!! Yeah ME!!!

Hugs to your hearts,

Betsy

My Talented Friend!

My amazing Mom in law is so much fun!

She is a wonderfully talented woman who has been so willingly to patiently teach me 

how to do so many things!

She made and decorated our wedding cake 32 years ago, she has made and decorated
hundreds of cakes through the years.

My hubby's niece is getting married in a few weeks and her Bridal Shower was last Saturday.
I helped MomIL put these adorable tiny wedding dresses and frosting borders
on the sheet cakes she made for the shower. My hubby's nephew's wife is an
artist and she drew the shape of the dresses for
MomIL to use as a pattern.

MomIL put parchment paper over the drawn patterns and then used a Royal Icing
to form the outside of the dresses. She filled them in and used a
heart shape to make the bodice of the dress.

Then she piped the sleeves, the sleeve ruffles, the ruffles at the "hem" of the dress,
and added a soft pink frosting bow. 

Aren't these just so sweet?  

Her borders around each piece are so perfect. . .

Mine, however, are NOT perfect. I need more practice. She was kind enough to say, "They don't all have to be perfect, they just need to all look the same." DO NOT look too closely at mine! They aren't all the same! I even took some off and did them again! I should have redone more of them!

She is so fun to make things with. She always encourages me... And lifts my spirits.
I do not know what I would do without her!

Because of her encouragement, I have learned to sew more accurately,
learned patience in hand stitching quilts, patience in making bread, learned to not
give up on myself when I needed to rip out that seam AGAIN! Many times she would rip it out for me, and by then I would be more calm and could continue again without cutting the project into pieces!

She has also taught me, it is alright to recognize when enough is enough! 

A few weeks ago I asked about a project she was knitting. 

Her answer..."Oh, I threw it away! I was so tired of trying to fix it, 

I had just had enough and threw it out!" 

She has done that more than once through the years!!! 

It makes me laugh and feel so much better about myself!  

We were laughing and talking to Daughter *3 when we took this picture.
She said, " I look terrible!" And I said, "Well, so do I and I don't want to look bad alone!"
So here we are happily looking "terrible" together.
She is a very classic woman, she always looks dressy, she even wears nylons with her jeans!

So, this was a Betsy Inspired picture....just smile and we can look great another time! 

She is my dear, dear friend. I am so grateful to have her as a Mother! 

And so grateful for all she has taught me and the patience she has shown me.

Love to you, Mom E.!

If you notice when I comment on your posts, that is also the name that shows up 

with my picture. She is MY Mom E.!

Make frosting dresses sometime, it's kinda like paper dolls! Only sweeter!

Hugs to you all!!

Betsy

Happy Birthday. . .

Monday, July 15, 2013

 I love lavender.
I love it's sweet scent and how it calms a distressed soul.
 It grows strong and sways in the summer breeze, and I love how it survives
difficult growing conditions. aka, not enough water...
I have transplanted it several times, and it handles it well each time.
Lavender grows well in Washington State, and I am glad.

I have two lavender plants on a mound in our yard we refer to as "The Hill".
It's not really a hill by any description, but it is a great place to sled on in winter,

ride a bike down in the spring and an ice block down in the summer.

The lavender grows on the northwest side of the hill and is seen as you drive into our lane
and just at where our yard begins. It is on the opposite end of the hill where the
FUN happens. . .aka, sledding, biking, and ice blocking.

It grows back every year and gets bigger every year, it's so constant! Even if I haven't cut it back.
It's fragrance is perfect for use in sachets or Pot Pourri as well as bouquets to be enjoyed in winter.

It has a subtle beautiful fragrance that lingers... It isn't flashy, but even just looking at it relaxes me,
makes me smile, and inspires me to make something lovely with it!

I cut the lavendar with long stems and take them to the potting bench to wrap
them in bundles for hanging to dry underneath  our deck

July 15, 2003 was my Mother's 80th birthday and we planned a big party for her.
I brought in some fabric that I had chosen to make an album cover out of.
We were surprising her with letters filled with memories from family and friends
and I wanted to make a pretty album for her to keep them
in and enjoy when she re~read the letters in the future.
She loved the fabric and said to me, "Lavender is my favorite color!"
I was surprised, and asked "How come I didn't know that... Why did I not KNOW this until now?"
I just happened to choose her favorite color, without knowing it...

Here they hang for a few days and nights drying so I can enjoy them long after they
began to grow and give beauty to my world. I can share them with others who also love lavender!

I was a bit sad that I never knew my Mother's favorite color. I don't think I ever 

asked her about it. I know we gave her gifts, year after year, of what we thought was 

pretty for her, or what Dad thought she would like.... (now THAT topic is a funny one!!!!)

Since then, Lavender, the color and the flower, remind me of my mother.

She was and is still a sweet calming influence in my life. She grew up during the depression

and life was not easy or glamorous for her, but she was strong through all the changes

and challenges that came her way. She generally was not an active participant in our family

wild times, water skiing, snow skiing, tobogganing, hiking, sledding, canoeing, fishing, building snowmen, 

and playing family games of Capture the flag, Scalps, Annie Annie Over, and Kick the Can.

But she was always there, waiting for us when we got home, 

 with hot chocolate and breakfast, or dinner and cookies, a ready hug, prepared to help 

us remove stickers from our feet, help us clean up and apply a band aide,

 or help us warm our hands or feet!  When we needed anything, she was there.

She wasn't flashy or dressed to the nines.  She spent her youth and energy 

and life raising her 10 children, feeding her family, sewing for her nine daughters,

baking bread for her family, making cakes for her family, cleaned for her family,

And Cookies and Cookies and Cookies! were made for anyone who came over!

 All who would come to our home felt welcomed and felt

at home in our home, which was also neither flashy nor expensive.

But we were cared for and loved. 

Just seeing her smiling face or hearing the sound of her voice brought peace and 

comfort to my heart. Her hugs and laugh were wonderful. . . and I miss them every day. 

Lavender heads fallen to the ground, still give a beautiful scent when stepped on or when the wind blows...

This last spring I did a blog post about her on the anniversary of her death, it would

be her 90th birthday... She lived a full life, and loved a full life, and filled my life with

 so many things including love. She wasn't perfect, but she was a wonderful Mother!

 I have learned so much from my Mother's choices, her talents and abilities, positives and negatives.

Bundled and dried to make sweet scented lovelies for my home and heart.

I hope my influence will be remembered as fondly by my children...

My lovely Mother and my Grandniece about seven years ago, at a wedding.
Look, She is wearing lavender!

"God gave us Memories 

so we could have 

Flowers in Winter

and Mothers Forever"

I love you, Mama, 

Happy Anniversary of the Day of Your Birth!

Heart hugs to you all,

Betsy

Linking to
Our Beautiful World

Prompt ~ Details

Check out other beautiful worlds!

"Soft Rain"...and lovlies....

"Soft Rain"
"Soft Rain" ~ Part 2
Sung by the
Choral Arts Society of Utah Master Chorale
via Annie of Blue Gables Blog
Thanks Annie!

Looking out the window on a wet June day on the farm. . .

Rain falls, soft rain at my window

 Every butterfly has hurried away,

All the honey bees have called it a day,

Lovelies from Lululiz, some purchased, some gifts. . .                                                  

Mother of Pearl buttons, laces, ribbons, vintage ticking
 and a gorgeous bookmark she made just for  me. . .

And the Columbine are bending their heads in the rain. . 

    

Rain falls, soft rain making puddles.

For the children's feet the puddles are sweet, 

And the skater-bug fleet find the small pools a treat

And the Columbine are bending their heads in the rain...

Making room for the flowers to grow in our flower beds, but the Columbine has finished blooming!

Flower bed under the deck

While the rain is falling there's a quietness about the world;

While the thunder is calling there's a quiet hush about the world. 

New orchard near our home in Washington State

Other Lovelies from Liz!

A time to remember the beautiful things . . .



To look for tomorrow and your fondest dreams!

More vintage bed ticking, ribbons, laces and buttons

Rain falls, soft rain at my window....

. . . I will go outside where the sleepy rain blows,

           Feel the wet on my face, 

                     Feel the wet on my clothes...

And like the Columbine

                             I want to bow my head in the rain...

So many beautiful things in our world, some are made by man.

But the most beautiful are God's creations.

We make things that look like the beauties of the earth to bring inside 

and decorate our homes. In this picture, even my weeds look beautiful to me. . .

I am so grateful for the many beautiful things the Lord has blessed

us with, beautiful earth and all it's wonders as well as the beautiful designs created by those with

 wonder and awe of the world and a vision to bring flowers inside with fabric.

I am especially grateful for beautiful friends, sisters, sisters by choice, family,

and bloggy friends who all add so much beauty to my life!

Thank you, to all of you, for the joy you bring

through your own blogs and your comments on mine.

Lyrics to the song

"Soft Rain" ~ by Douglas and Janet Cox

I remember this song from when I was about 14. I was at a high school choir performance

and I fell in love with this song that reflected the feelings I have about the rain . . .

I have sung it many times during the rain and decided to share it with you

as I was taking these pictures on a rainy day in June.

Joyous Hearts to you on your Rainy Days!!

Betsy

Linking to 

Our Beautiful World

A new photo sharing blog, to share pictures of our own area of the world,

and see pictures of others' worlds!

Read more about the new blog and the guidelines for photo

submissions HERE