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| July 3, 2016 - Copper Harbor, Michigan |
Check out the "Lake Superior Marine Traffic - LIVE (Interactive)" spot near the bottom of the left column on this blog. There's action there again!
All is well in the Keweenaw.
Tuesday, March 28, 2017
The Boats are Back!
The Soo Locks opened at midnight on Saturday, so the big boats are back on the big lake!
Check out the "Lake Superior Marine Traffic - LIVE (Interactive)" spot near the bottom of the left column on this blog. There's action there again!
All is well in the Keweenaw.
Check out the "Lake Superior Marine Traffic - LIVE (Interactive)" spot near the bottom of the left column on this blog. There's action there again!
All is well in the Keweenaw.
Sunday, March 26, 2017
Saturday, March 25, 2017
Crate It!
I found an old pear crate in Mr. Cut Off's barn years ago and used it on top of our refrigerator when we lived in lower Michigan. One side still had the old paper label; the other side had a painted logo.
I always knew I wanted to use it in this house, and I finally made up my mind as to where I wanted to put it. It landed on a wall in the dining area.
After we had it on the wall, Mr. Cut Off said he knew he had another crate around here somewhere. Did I want it? Duh,yeah. It took a little hunting, but he eventually found this Remington box in the barn.
Since our walls are pine and will not be painted on a whim every few years, I was thrilled to have another surface (or two - or three) to decorate - something that CAN be changed seasonally or on a whim.
Along with a vintage toaster,
we've got a little Easter/spring thing going on right now.
There's my Vase Makeover project. . .
An old scale graces the top surface. . .
and these 2 blue pieces I inherited from my grandmother sit in the middle.
You'll get more peeks at these crates as things change throughout the year(s).
All is well in the Keweenaw.
I always knew I wanted to use it in this house, and I finally made up my mind as to where I wanted to put it. It landed on a wall in the dining area.
After we had it on the wall, Mr. Cut Off said he knew he had another crate around here somewhere. Did I want it? Duh,yeah. It took a little hunting, but he eventually found this Remington box in the barn.
After a thorough cleaning, it landed on top of the pear crate.
Since our walls are pine and will not be painted on a whim every few years, I was thrilled to have another surface (or two - or three) to decorate - something that CAN be changed seasonally or on a whim.
Along with a vintage toaster,
we've got a little Easter/spring thing going on right now.
There's my Vase Makeover project. . .
and my Easy Easter Bunting.
An old scale graces the top surface. . .
and these 2 blue pieces I inherited from my grandmother sit in the middle.
You'll get more peeks at these crates as things change throughout the year(s).
All is well in the Keweenaw.
Friday, March 24, 2017
New Use for Old Stuff
Mr. Cut Off's daughter, Carrie, and her husband, Shawn, sent us some homemade Christmas gifts in December. Of course that's always a thrill, since we love the thought put into anything made by hand. They know we have a fondness for old stuff, so one of the gifts was an old board with chipping paint with a license plate attached to it. Not just any license plate, but a plate with Mr. Cut Off's birth year on it. They also screwed in 3 cup hooks near the bottom of the board. It would have made a perfect key holder, but we didn't really have a use for that.
We decided to use it as a coat rack for a spot by our front door instead. We found some bronze hooks to replace the smaller cup hooks. The only problem was the chipping paint. Although we loved the look, it continued to flake off, so Mr. Cut Off sealed it before he added the new hooks.
This aged the piece even further and made it easy to dust.
Lovin' it!
All is well in the Keweenaw.
We decided to use it as a coat rack for a spot by our front door instead. We found some bronze hooks to replace the smaller cup hooks. The only problem was the chipping paint. Although we loved the look, it continued to flake off, so Mr. Cut Off sealed it before he added the new hooks.
This aged the piece even further and made it easy to dust.
Lovin' it!
It was a very thoughtful gift that we'll be pleased to use for many years to come!
All is well in the Keweenaw.
Sunday, March 19, 2017
Saturday, March 18, 2017
On the Clips-Board: So Loved
Remember the Clips-Board I have on the wall above the stove? I have been changing the message, but I haven't shown it to you for quite some time. The Easter message I posted is from John 3:16 - just the simple and powerful phrase: God So Loved.
The background image is that beautiful old hymn - The Old Rugged Cross.
Let's not forget this all important message!
All is well in the Keweenaw.
The background image is that beautiful old hymn - The Old Rugged Cross.
Let's not forget this all important message!
All is well in the Keweenaw.
Thursday, March 16, 2017
Easy Easter Bunting
I've had an admittedly lazy last 2 weeks here in the Keweenaw. I'm still dealing with this bout of pleurisy, although the pain isn't as severe as it was. The most exercise I've had is doing laundry and putting dishes in the dishwasher, and there have been more than a few days when I didn't even get out of my robe until mid-afternoon! I felt like I turned a corner on Tuesday, however, so I'm hopeful for lots more energy by next week.
Our Keweenaw snowfall total has hit the 260" mark, and we still have lots on the ground, but we're having more and more days when we can actually view the world in living color again. Here's my view looking up from the chair in the corner of the great room today.
The forecast is calling for 2-4" of snow tomorrow, but that blue sky sure puts us in the mood for spring! It won't be long now. March is half over already and Easter will be here before we know it, so I thought I would post my Easter bunting project.
Most of my 2017 Easter and spring decor coordinates with this yarn I purchased at Walmart ($2.97) in a color called Key Largo Tweed.
I used this yarn for several projects including my Vase Makeover and my Pillar Candle Holder Makeover. You can click on the titles to see those projects.
This Easy Easter Bunting is small - just large enough to drape in front of a small display area (which I will fully reveal in an upcoming post). An Internet search will lead you to an unlimited number of free downloadable background papers and textures. I used one I found from melstampz for my bunting - added the triangles and letters in Microsoft Publisher - and printed it on white cardstock.
I cut out the triangles and punched 2 holes in each one. After that, I just had to string them onto the yarn and cut the yarn to the length I needed.
Again, I'll reveal more about the exact location of this Easy Easter Bunting in an upcoming post.
Can't show you everything at once!
All is well in the Keweenaw.
Our Keweenaw snowfall total has hit the 260" mark, and we still have lots on the ground, but we're having more and more days when we can actually view the world in living color again. Here's my view looking up from the chair in the corner of the great room today.
The forecast is calling for 2-4" of snow tomorrow, but that blue sky sure puts us in the mood for spring! It won't be long now. March is half over already and Easter will be here before we know it, so I thought I would post my Easter bunting project.
Most of my 2017 Easter and spring decor coordinates with this yarn I purchased at Walmart ($2.97) in a color called Key Largo Tweed.
I used this yarn for several projects including my Vase Makeover and my Pillar Candle Holder Makeover. You can click on the titles to see those projects.
This Easy Easter Bunting is small - just large enough to drape in front of a small display area (which I will fully reveal in an upcoming post). An Internet search will lead you to an unlimited number of free downloadable background papers and textures. I used one I found from melstampz for my bunting - added the triangles and letters in Microsoft Publisher - and printed it on white cardstock.
The letters spell out the true message of Easter - HE IS RISEN!
I cut out the triangles and punched 2 holes in each one. After that, I just had to string them onto the yarn and cut the yarn to the length I needed.
Again, I'll reveal more about the exact location of this Easy Easter Bunting in an upcoming post.
Can't show you everything at once!
All is well in the Keweenaw.
Sunday, March 12, 2017
Saturday, March 11, 2017
Cool Critters
Last Sunday marked the end of the Copper Dog 150. That's an annual pro-class sled dog race held over 3 days and almost 150 miles - beginning and ending in Calumet. After church on Sunday, we checked out the action as some of the teams made their way back to the finish line at the corner of 5th Street and Scott Street.
There were more folks on our side of 5th Street on Sunday, and there were spectators all the way down the street. The race start on Friday evening is packed with people several layers deep.
Although I don't have a photo of the winning team, this is the first time in the 8-year history of the race that it was won by a Canadian - and the first time it was won by a female! It just happened that 2 of the teams we watched cross the finish line on Sunday also had female mushers.
The Copper Dog is a fantastic event that requires hundreds of volunteers and really excites all the local communities. The dogs are so much fun to watch, so I think they qualify as "cool critters."
I gave you a sneak peek at this next "cool critter" in a previous post - with a teaser asking if you could guess what it was. Can you see it?
We were having our coffee in the great room one morning when I noticed this beautiful animal making its way across our yard.
The fox wandered in and out of the tree line for a few minutes. . .
and turned to head into the shade. . .
and we soon lost sight of him in the dense woods.
What a gorgeous animal! I saved my favorite photo of this fox for my Sunday Reflections post tomorrow.
Oh, and I have to give a birthday "shout out" to 2 of my favorite people: (1) my younger brother, Danny, down in Florida and (2) my Aunt Edie here in the U.P.
All is well in the Keweenaw.
There were more folks on our side of 5th Street on Sunday, and there were spectators all the way down the street. The race start on Friday evening is packed with people several layers deep.
Although I don't have a photo of the winning team, this is the first time in the 8-year history of the race that it was won by a Canadian - and the first time it was won by a female! It just happened that 2 of the teams we watched cross the finish line on Sunday also had female mushers.
The Copper Dog is a fantastic event that requires hundreds of volunteers and really excites all the local communities. The dogs are so much fun to watch, so I think they qualify as "cool critters."
I gave you a sneak peek at this next "cool critter" in a previous post - with a teaser asking if you could guess what it was. Can you see it?
We were having our coffee in the great room one morning when I noticed this beautiful animal making its way across our yard.
The fox wandered in and out of the tree line for a few minutes. . .
and turned to head into the shade. . .
and we soon lost sight of him in the dense woods.
What a gorgeous animal! I saved my favorite photo of this fox for my Sunday Reflections post tomorrow.
Oh, and I have to give a birthday "shout out" to 2 of my favorite people: (1) my younger brother, Danny, down in Florida and (2) my Aunt Edie here in the U.P.
All is well in the Keweenaw.