Looking Up!!

Things are looking up in the She-shed. In fact, if you look up this is what you see.....

The sun is setting in the West,

and rising in the East.

The tree outside the window is now visible through the rafters.

I'm learning that it takes time to paint a tree. First you have to paint the trunk, then each layer of leaves one at a time. 

The highest layer of leaves are the most yellow because they receive the most sunlight. These leaves have no details as they are so high up that the detail can't really be seen from the ground.

The second layer of leaves are darker green because they are a bit shaded by the upper leaves, but being closer to the ground, these leaves have a visible central vein.

That's as far as I've gotten. There will be a final, darkest green layer of detailed leaves before all is said and done. Then on even the most dreary January day, I will be able to sit under a soothing summer sky in the shade of a happy tree!

Until tomorrow,

Shelli

For in the true nature of things, if we rightly consider, every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold and silver.

 ~Martin Luther

Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under the trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the blue sky, is by no means waste of time. 

~John Lubbock, “Recreation,” The Use of Life, 1894

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.
~Joyce Kilmer, “Trees,” 1914

Incentive!

Lowes delivered the She-shed cabinets and counter top; incentive to start work on the walls!!

Until tomorrow,

Shelli

When I work I relax; doing nothing or entertaining visitors makes me tired. 

~Pablo Picasso

Idleness begets ennui, ennui the hypochondriac, and that a diseased body.  No laborious person was ever yet hysterical. 

~Thomas Jefferson, 1787

For me the diamond dawns are set
In rings of beauty,
And all my ways are dewy wet
With pleasant duty.
~John Townsend Trowbridge

Blue Skies Smilin' at Me

Nothin' but blue skies do I see.

The She-shed is coming along and as I work on turning the ceiling into sky, I can't help but sing that great Ella Fitzgerald song. Yesterday was her birthday; she would have been 101.

Click here to learn more about this American icon.

http://mentalfloss.com/article/94742/10-fascinating-facts-about-ella-fitzgerald

Until tomorrow,

Shelli

The only thing better than singing is more singing.

-Ella Fitzgerald

The Sun Also Rises

Well, it's time to get started inside the she-shed. 

Today is the only day this week I have to work, so I'll just try to knock out the east facing wall.

 First a coat of Kilz.

Then a coat of blue. I am trying to use all the leftover paint from the remodel and this blue paint was left over from the ceilings under the front and back porches.

And lastly, since this wall does face east, I added a sunrise...

I think it needs more rays. I'll do a little tweaking next week.

Until tomorrow,

Shelli

Facts about the Sun

• The Sun accounts for 99.86% of the mass in the solar system. ...
• Over one million Earth's could fit inside the Sun. ...
• One day the Sun will consume the Earth. ...
• The energy created by the Sun's core is nuclear fusion. ...
• The Sun is almost a perfect sphere. ...
• The Sun is travelling at 220 km per second.

Sun Facts: Interesting Facts about Sun (or Sol)

theplanets.org/the-sun/

The She Shed: Part 3

So paint is next in line for the She Shed project, and the only thing I have to say about an outside painting job is find a beautiful day for it! We have had a week of beautiful days here in southwest Mississippi which made the job really enjoyable.

First Kilz....

...then paint.

To tie the shed in with the house, I am using the same colors we used on the house. In fact, my goal is to use leftover paint for as much as the job as possible- reuse, repurpose!

As you can see in the picture, I need a taller ladder to reach the top. After that it will be time to start painting the inside.

Dear Friend, I hope you are on the mend from your surgery. Holding you up in prayer!!

Until tomorrow,

Shelli

Springtime is the land awakening. The March winds are the morning yawn.

~Quoted by Lewis Grizzard

in Kathy Sue Loudermilk, I Love You

The She Shed: Part 2

The She Shed is going to be my place to do projects. James is as excited about this as I am since it will mean no more clutter on the kitchen island or dining room table when I undertake a grand scheme.  But in order to work out in the shed, there had to be light, so now, windows!

Adding windows was beyond my skill set, so James to the rescue!!  We spent one night watching window installation videos on YouTube, assured each other that we were college-educated, competent people who should be able to handle this, and then went to buy our supplies.

First we cut the holes.

Then we framed up the window.

Next, we installed and sealed them up. (It took us 4 hours to install the first window and 1 1/2 hours to install the last one. We thought that was pretty good for beginners!)

And finally, we dressed the outside of the windows. 

We used, nice big frames so that we wouldn't also feel the need for shutters.

Next....paint!!

Until tomorrow,

Shelli

Now I know, a refuge never grows
from a chin in the hand and a thoughtful pose
Gotta tend the earth if you want a rose.
~Indigo Girls

The She Shed: Part 1

When we decided upon Pine Cone Lane, it was because of the property and the outbuildings on it- the pole barn, garden shed, playground, and large storage shed. That large storage shed is undergoing a transformation into a She Shed - the answer to the Man Cave.

During move-in week, the storage shed was a holding place for anything not going into the house. It stayed that way for five months, then last month I began the unenviable job of culling through its contents.

Anything related to gardening was taken down to the garden shed located next to the defunct garden area. Anything else was shoved to the side of the storage shed until I could build a closet to house it all.

Next the ceiling was removed from the front of the shed. Thank you, James, for doing the demo!! I left the ceiling in the rear of the shed as it created a loft area above the soon-to-be-created closet. I also thought Olive might want to sleep out in the loft when she gets older.

I framed out the walls on either side of an area for a door and finished them off with plywood walls.

The closet is about 4 feet deep with a wide door giving us easy access to anything inside. I'm not sure yet how I will close/cover the door; I'll have to spend some time on Pinterest checking out my options.

Next...windows!!

Until tomorrow,

Shelli

The vision must be followed by the venture.

It is not enough to stare up the steps — we must step up the stairs.

~Vance Havner

Motivation is when your dreams put on work clothes.

~Author Unknown