Already Decorating (In My Head)...

Brynwood Needleworks - Cindy Austin "Brown & White Cow"

Right now, our farm kitchen is a blank slate. We have a pantry (not a "butler's pantry" as farmers never had butlers!) with a farm sink and all the cabinets a heart could desire. The adjacent room used to have a stove and refrigerator when the previous owners lived here, but those appliances are long gone and we have an empty room to turn into our kitchen.

Brynwood Needleworks - Cindy Austin "Cow Painting"

I've had stainless steel appliances in our Florida home for years, but stainless seems out of place for our farm. I'm opting instead for white appliances. Handsome and I have also settled on repeating the butcher block countertops, as they're really our favorite counter surface.

Brynwood Needleworks - Cindy Austin "Moonalisa"

The rest of our kitchen ideas will be revealed in good time, but one item keeps coming back to the front of my mind. We're in the Dairy State, surrounded by dairy farmers. I can see cows on the landscape, almost without leaving home. 

 

Brynwood Needleworks - Cindy Austin "Gwendolyn"

 

I love Cindy Austin's animal paintings, and this one - "Gwendolyn" - has captured my heart. I'll be ordering this canvas to hang in our farm. I'm thinking "kitchen" right now, but either way, Gwendolyn is going to live on one of the walls in our farmhouse.

You can find Cindy's artwork in her Etsy shop (pinkgloves2) HERE. She paints more than cows, and I love everything she does.

Relaxing On Labor Day...

"Gwendolyn" by pinkgloves2 on Etsy

First, I'm sharing this image because I love it. It makes me happy and reminds me

of the holsteins that used to graze in the fields next to our marsh (and sometimes

hide in our woods or visit our front stoop when they broke through their fences).

I may have to order it to hang somewhere in our home. I'm that enamored of it.

It also reminds me of our Labor Day Weekend parties. Before we moved south,

we hosted up to 250 friends and family members at our parties. Everyone brought

a small dish to pass, some brought rolls and/or soft drinks, and we supplied the

grilled meat (pork roasts and brats from our farmer friend up the road). Our sons

and their friends camped in our high ground woods...and there was always music!

One year there was karaoke, another time a jazz ensemble (Handsome on drums),

our younger son and his band played, and one year we even had a barbershop quartet!

There were volleyball games in one part of the yard, horseshoes in another area and

bocce ball or jarts on the hillside. Each year, the celebration got bigger and bigger.

I took photos each year and put them all into their own photo album. We have 

fifteen of those albums, beginning with the smallest gathering of about 15 people.

So many fond memories of summers past. We continue to make memories, but 

these will always remind of of special times with great people in Wisconsin.

 This year, there are no big gatherings, but the days are lovely just the same. I'm blessed to have these days with my Handsome husband, local friends and Tag.    I've been in the studio a bit this weekend, but have yet to complete any project,  with the exception of replacing a broken zipper in a skirt. I have also done a little work on the guild raffle quilt for 2016. (Didn't I say I would take a rest from guild  quilts for a while? I'm not quite sure how this happened. More on that another day.)   The rest of my time has been spent with Handsome and Tag, and I'm going to 

continue that program for the rest of the day today. Nothing better I'd like to do.

I'm sure many of you will be back to work tomorrow, so enjoy your extra 

day off today. Have good fun and, if you're traveling, please stay safe.

Tag will be back with his post tomorrow...September 1st (already)!

 

Wishing you a Happy and Restful Labor Day!