our Labor Day

Last weekend we had a full holiday. The Shunks came to visit and to bring me lots and lots and lots of stuff - everything we couldn't fit into the back of our car when we left a few weeks ago! Most of it was from thrifting and then lots from their basement. An old barn door, chunky wooden spindles, old piano keys and more corn crib wood (to be specific).

Grandma came to help around the house and to enjoy the girl.

Pretty sure she did.

"Pap" came to help with some muscle work and enjoy her.

Pretty sure he did.

Ladybug couldn't get enough of Grandpa last weekend! It was hilarious. Every minute she couldn't see him she was calling his name or finding his belly. She was so excited with extra energy. Loved it.

We celebrated Grandpa's upcoming birthday with another apple pie. And lemme tell you folks, it was beautiful! (And yummy, a la mode.) Thanks to my best friend's suggestion to freeze and grate the butter into the flour for the crust, I'm pretty sure my pie crust has never been better. (Thanks, E!) I won't be looking back from my crisco days, it's 2 sticks of real butter crust all the way.

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Okay, okay, besides food, this birthday man gave me so much of his time to help with my upcoming Christmas market - I'm so grateful. He had much patience with my only-in-my-head ideas and spent a couple of hours on his knees hammering frames together for my corn crib slat signs. He cut the barn door, piano pieces, and nine 8-feet long boards into 8", 10", 12", etc pieces and helped drive alotta nails. We (well, he with my "support") washed and put hinges on their (turned MY!) antique house shutters to make a decorative screen. Can't wait to set it up!

Here is a sample of the corn crib slat signs (still to be painted). Some will be red and some will be aged plain wood.

front:

back:

Most of the muscle work is over ... now I need to get painting, distressing, staining, waxing, shellacking, gluing, sewing ... so much to do! But I never would've been in this spot without them.

Happy!

Thanks Janet for spending so much quality time with the girl - having her occupied and happy was as important as the muscle work! And thanks George for all your hard work helping me put together my frames, shutters and other little things!! I am really, really happy and really, really grateful.