Wednesday Wee Ones

We've had some snow - brrrr it has been cold - so we all got dressed up in our winter clothes.

 Abby keeps her rain coat and rain hat handy - snow often turns to rain here in NW Washington State.  Poppy and Kyla are ready for some winter fun - and look who is joining them - their new sister, Samantha.  She was a christmas gift from our Auntie Lori - Samantha hasn't seen snow before so she is very excited.

 Sally Jo and Donnie like the snow a lot.

 OH nooooooooo - the snow  is so slippery - everyone better go indoors and get warmed up.

 Poppy will make us some warm cookies - or cakes - or pies, with the new christmas gift baking set.

 Poppy is a very good baker!

 A good shopping list.

 Tarts would be good Miss Poppy - we like apple tarts best.

 Kyla likes her boots and red leggings.

 Abby has a plaid blouse and blue leggins - and good sturdy black boots

 Sally Jo like to dress up in her fancy winter outfit

 And Samantha loves her nautical outfit - complete with a ship's whistle.

 Donnie is a tough Pacific Northwester - he wears his flannel shorts and crocs all year 'round.

 Well, look here - another gift from our Auntie Jamie in West Virginia - a piano - let's all sing some songs to warm up after playing in the snow.

Donnie will play some songs for us on our new piano

 

 Hot chocolate is ready - who wants some hot chocolate?

 I think everyone wants some hot chocolate - it is perfect for these winter days.  And the tea set is from our Auntie Jamie too.  She finds the very best gifts.  There are some new spring clothes from Auntie Jamie that we can't wait to try on when the weather warms up.

  Diane has some christmas fun with her dolls at Little Jo's Doll Party.

Tuesday's Treasures

Do you have a doll blog?  We'd love to share.

Barns Again

Barns in our area - I seem to find more barns to photograph whenever we go for a drive - many family farms are now being sold - some to big farm conglomerates - some to families that want to live in the country but don't want to farm.

 This one is  in good condition and still in use.

 This one has been long forgotten and recently hundreds of acres surrounding it has been planted to massive blueberry fields.  The little red twigs in the foreground are a portion of those blueberry plants - they turn red just before they burst into flower for the new crop of berries.

 Near Hamilton/Lyman, WA - perhaps used for storage but not for farming any longer.

 Fairly new paint - windows in good condition - the apple tree will soon be blooming.

 Can't decide - used or unused?

 Excellent

 Goodbye old barn!

 Another goodbye.

On an unsually clear day - the Canadian mountains, covered in snow and visible behind a large farm.  We don't often see the Canadian mountains so clearly.

Barn Collective

Hats for the Homeless

It has been cold so far this winter, here in the Pacific Northwest - the upper left corner of Washington State.  Not as cold as some - and we've had two fairly good size snow storms for our area - and the snow has lasted for weeks, with very cold temperatures.

Each night when I snuggle in my warm and cozy bed I think about the homeless - wondering how they keep warm.  I've met several wonderful homeless people - their stories are sad - but they themselves seem to have a good outlook.

I wanted to do something during these cold days - for the homeless and low income - crocheted hats - that's just the thing.  I had a big bin of yarn so I started.

 I love the way the variegated yarn works up - such pretty stripes.

 I finished up all the yarn I had - and then others began giving me yarn to crochet more hats

 Bright yarn

 Some solids for those who like solids colors.

Even enough yarn left to make a tiny hat for a baby.

It has been a great project - I'm still crocheting and just finished hat number 90.  I have yarn left and I'll crochet until it is gone and then get more.

I'd love to hear what charitable projects you are involved in.  We each can do our part - no matter how small.  A happy week ahead to all of you dear folks.

Mosaic Monday 

A Trip to Guemes Island

We spent Saturday on Guemes (gwee - muss) Island - it is the smallest and closest of the San Juan Islands off the NW coast of Washington State.  The ferry ride is less than 5 minutes.  One of our favorites - we decided that a nice chilly sunshiny day in January was a perfect day for a picnic (eaten in the car with the sun shining in on us) 

 One of our favorites - well kept and with a great fence

 Down a huge hill and in a valley - a very typical size and shape for our area

 Not a barn - but this trip we also saw a lot of the tiny original cabins on Guemes - this one was next to a water tower in town, with a large family home next to the water tower - used before town supplied water - sometimes a dog or a goat was trained to run on a treadmill inside the tower to pump water if there was no wind for the windmill on top.  Or the children might have to run on the treadmill if there was no dog or goat. 

 A woodshed with a quilt design on it.  Wood is one of the main sources of heat on Guemes - there are no natural gas lines and if you use propane it has to be brought over on a separate ferry/barge in a large truck - so the cost is much higher than on the mainland.

 A tree house - with stained glass windows designed by the chidren

 Another old original log cabin - this one was in fairly good condition

 For its age. The logs had been faced with wood planks at one time - and there is a water spigot under the windows.

In the same yard - just next door to the old cabin was a new log cabin - perhaps a studio or a guest cottage

 On the way home, some drive-by photos on Hiway 20.  Most of the farms no longer use the barns, but the land is given over to growing crops instead of raising cattle

 The barns are melting away

Just as you leave the valley and head up into the mountains towards Bellingham, and home, is one of our favorite farms, still used and well kept - and Saturday there were Trumpeter Swans and ducks in the fields in front of the farm.  A great way to end a great day.

Barn Collective