Life in Washington continues to be more comfortable. Over the past week it seems like a lot has been going on both with me as well as my kids. I got a bedroom in the house painted, did a little crafting, and some sewing. My kids – well, their idea of daily lives differ from mine quite a bit (which is as it should be).
Julia is taking a class on swine management this quarter and she loves it. Springtime means birthing – lots and lots of piglets have been born over the last two weeks or so. When she was ‘on duty’ last week, she helped this sow deliver her litter of 21 babies. By the time Julia got there, seven had been birthed. She was there for the birth of the next 14 which took a couple of hours. She said it was hard work, fast paced and exhilarating all at the same time. She loved every bit of it.
Her hands are a little gross but that is part of the deal. She is in her element with this sort of thing and is hoping for another mama to birth piglets during her shifts this coming week. I can say for sure, pig birthing was not a part of the curriculum during my college experience!
My son and daughter in law have been studying the world of beekeeping over the past months. They came across an opportunity to buy a whole beekeeper’s set up (gotta love Facebook Marketplace!) so they are fully experiencing the world of bees. H is right there with them. This process is much more complex than I knew.
These experiences are priceless. I am so happy to see them so excited and learning this together.
On to my less exciting projects! This picture shows Julia’s bedroom when we bought the house. It was lavender – like really purple! We didn’t like it at all! So now that lots of the unpacking is done, I found a day to paint it. The room isn’t too big so, with a little help from my husband, it only took one day to get it done.
Doesn’t it look lovely? It is a buttery yellow shade now. When we moved here, Ray remarked at how much paint was left in the garage. So we browsed the existing paint and I chose this yellow. There was a whole gallon of good quality paint, and it covered in just about one coat. I am all for using up what is already on hand. Plus the color is very pretty. I do want to make different draperies for the windows. That gray is totally wrong in this room. I am happy this is done because Julia comes home in two weeks!
OK – next incredibly exciting project! Sometime ago, my mom asked me to get rid of this old wicker basket for her but somehow I never did. It just sat in the garage and when we moved, Ray tossed it into the truck. I like the shape of the basket though so off I went in search of spray paint. We didn’t have any I liked so this project did require a quick trip to Lowe’s.
I chose white ‘chalk’ paint. It looks so cool! I painted outside because wow, this stuff smells awful.
Isn’t this cute? I think I will put it in the sewing room after it airs out a bit. It is tall enough for rolls of wrapping paper and I also keep a selection of cut dowels for hanging various size wall quilts. I can see this coming in handy upstairs!
I met up with my two local sisters on Monday. We had planned to get coffee and take a walk. However we made the mistake of getting the coffee and parking our posteriors on this bench. After 90 minutes, it was clear we were not going to take a walk at all. So we enjoyed a nice sister visit and some good coffee.
After the sisters left, I headed to the library which was just behind the bench we sat on.
Somehow having a library along the coast feels very decadent to me. Who can go to the library and the beach in one trip? Me, that’s who! I love it.
Here is the stack I brought home and my thoughts so far. Love the Denese Schmidt book and the Quilts Made Modern by Weeks Ringle. Both have fun info and some great patterns. The Simple Simon book is what I thought it might be. While it does include some cute bits from Liz and Elizabeth, the quilts very, very simple. This book is great for someone who is truly making their first quilt. The book on succulents is great. I love succulents and had to give mine away before we moved up here. Time to get some new ones started! Kate Hudson’s book, Pretty Fun, is pretty awful. I tried to like it – but yikes it is all fluff and a waste of time. So after a few chapters, I closed it and moved on. I am in the middle of While You’re Here Doc about a country vet in Maine. I love this sort of thing. I am thinking it is probably similar to the James Herriot book series – well, I think it probably is. I haven’t read those. But if I were to guess, this is the sort of story he writes! Hahaha. It is entertaining though. Finally I will be reading the Laurie Frankel book next – I love her books so much. I am currently listening to the audio version of Goodbye For Now.
OK – that does it for now. I am at my son’s house, babysitting the youngest while he is off celebrating H’s last day of preschool. She was so excited! She told me she is graduating to kindergarten today but has to wait for summer break first. They celebrate with a hot dog bbq and taking turns riding the horses that live at the preschool. She had a great year here. How on earth is it the end of the school year already???
Remember!! The second annual Positivity QAL kicks off this weekend, Sunday May 29th. I really hope you will join us and sew along for Mercyful Quilts!
it sounds like you are really enjoying your move and having sisters close by is certainly a plus – I would love having a place to walk like that and the library near by as well. Enjoy changing your house and seeing your family
Hi Karen, That walk along the beach is lovely – there are ferries going back and forth and we can see across the bay to the naval base in Bremerton. My husband and I have been exploring a bit and looking for different parts of the coast to walk along – also we have tons of shady trails in the woods – so depending on the weather, I think we are set. Thank you for your note!
I love every bit of this post, from the baby piglets, to the pic of you and your sis enjoying each other’s company! Oh my gosh, a library by the ocean! How cool is that?! You have found a great place to call home!
Thanks Wendy. The strip of town right by the water is great – a good coffee shop, a yummy bakery and a couple of shops I have not yet ventured into. The library is the best tho. Are you up and around these days? Sure hope so. 🙂
Piglet birthing and bee keeping?!! Y’all are hard core up there in Washington state!! Glad to see you are settling in. I love your basket refresh. And as for that lilac purple bedroom — that looks exactly like the color my bedroom in New Jersey had been painted by its previous owner when we moved into the house in, oh, 1987 or so? The new color you painted is much easier on the eyes!
Well, the kids are hard core. Me, not so much! I am happy to sew and do a little crafting. We are also working on finding pretty places to hike. There is an abundance of trails very close to the house. Lots to explore!! That lilac color was just awful. The previous owners had a young girl so I am thinking it was her room. Yikes!
Your weeks worth sounds amazing!!
Love the piggies and the bees and the sisters
and the Beach and Library!!! Sounds heavenly!!!
Thank you! Apparently there are more piglets to be born this week. So, Julia is hoping it happens when she is there. One was born with a cleft palate the other day and she was so pragmatic. I think it is sad but she knows that this little one probably won’t make it. Such is life. Hope you are doing well Alycia!
So glad you’re enjoying life in Washington, being closer to the grands, and making the new house your own! Love the piggies and the beekeeping – that is such a fascinating thing. Enjoy every bit of it!
Thank you Diann. Looked like you had a great trip to the Eastern coast – We had a wonderful vacation in Maine about four or five years ago. I would love to go back again. Take care, B.
It sounds like you’re settling in wonderfully! I’m amazed one mama sow had all those piglets. I still have two small bedrooms to paint but I haven’t been motivated. After seeing the lovely change in Julia’s room, I need to get at it! Ah, sister time — it makes the effort of moving worthwhile when you’re closer to family. And I’m totally jealous of a library on the coast!
Hey Tracie, So far this sow holds the record for litter size this year. It was a lot!
As for painting, I just couldn’t see setting up Julia’s furniture in a purple room so I was motivated to paint before there was a lot of stuff to work around. I do not enjoy painting but it looks great now that it is done!
LOVE the basket’s transformation! Also love the photo of you and your sister and YES to how awesome to visit a library at the beach.
Thank you Julie – Lots of fun happening here lately. Which is only fair after months of working to get up here! I even got a little time in the sewing room today! Yahoo!
Piglets! I love Julia’s expression while holding that darling piglet. The beekeeping is fascinating, but I think the buzzing alone would give me the hee-bee-gee-bees (however you spell that!). I love the painting job you did and am sure you will find the right curtains for the room. I am painting my living room, virtually, while on the living room couch letting my ankle heal. My mother-in-law’s dog, Percy the first (as we have a dog named Percy) went to James Herriot’s practice in England! When I get upstairs, I will work on something for the QAL!
Hey Kathleen – how are you feeling? I hope you are starting to get a little mobility back? When can you put weight down? Yuk – it has to be rather frustrating! I am with you on the beekeeping. Not my deal but it is fun to watch the kids with it. They are totally enjoying the science behind it and learning how the bees function. There is so much too it! Take care and heal!!
You are just glowing in all the photos I see of you, Bernie. It makes me so happy to see how well things seem to be working out for you. And a library at the coast? Amazing. So glad you are enjoying everything!
Thank you Yvonne – It was the right thing to do.
The beaches are gorgeous – not warm like yours but pretty nonetheless. Lots of ferries and cruise ships moving along and also naval ships since there is a base up here. We are loving it though. 🙂
I have not read any of Laurie Frankel’s books but I will check her out, thank you! There are just too many books and not enough time to read them all. I adore the photo of you and your sister, the very best of times, clearly being had. I know exactly what you mean about the pinch me feeling of going to the beach (ocean!) and library at the same moment. I had a lot of those moments, still do sometimes, when we first moved here, and there is Lake Erie literally at the end of my street. The library is not on the shore though as yours is. I love the Oregon coast and would love to get back there one day. So glad for you!
Oh Sandra – you will totally enjoy Frankel’s books. Start with This is How It Always Is. Such a great book about her family. I am a huge fan of hers. Let me know what you think. 🙂
So glad to see you settling in, and everyone so happy!
Me too Karen, me too! So much work to get up here and now we are able to enjoy family and start to relax. I even got some quilting done today. Hard to believe!! Migraine continues to be the same miserable companion though. Hope you haven’t had too many. 🙂
Thank you for sharing the sweet pics of piglets! We have never raised pigs, only bovine and sheep/lambs, but those piglets are so adorable. It is a special kind of ‘make do’ using up what was left behind for your new home. Yay! I am going to add Laurie Frankel to my read list. You would absolutely adore the James Herriot books. I reread them about every 10 years. You sound so happy with your move to Washington.
Hi – thank you for the note. We are super happy with the move and our decision to be up here. It has been a colder than normal spring but that doesn’t really bother me – I am not much of a hot weather person. Hope you enjoy the Laurie Frankel books – I am working my way through them and really enjoying it. Take care, B.
What a lot of little delights in this post, Bernie. The lavender room!! (I really wanted one when I was a pre-teen/teen, but my parents painted it apple green.) The yellow looks very pretty, and how resourceful of you to find it in your household storage. It’s fun to see how easy it is for you to get together with family there. Do you take the ferry to see your son’s family? To me that would be like going on vacation every time. I bet Julia is looking forward to experiencing Wash. for a bit. (She might miss her piggies though.)