Christmas Tree

This year for Christmas Stan and I did something we have never done before - And hey, we are always looking for "firsts" in our relationship, keeps it fun! Sooo now that we have a new window in our kitchen with a view into our backyard we decided to put up Christmas lights on a scrappy old pine tree which otherwise doesn't get much attention.

The husband did a fabulous job assembling the lines of lights in very merry order. This was done while standing on a ladder with a homemade pole which he cleverly designed to assist in proper light placement. I did my best to hold the ladder still and assure a non tangled environment.
















Several trips to the store, 10 strings of lights, multiple light sockets and 2 extensions cords later, we had finally finished it. Here is a photo of the final product! Wow, we couldn't believe how much it lit up the yard! It was a hit with the neighbors and we love to see this out our kitchen window :)

Florida trip

Stan and I made a quick trip to Florida to help ring in his mom's 80th Birthday. Her actual bday is not until December but it was much easier to assemble the family during October.

Most of the Chew family was there with the exception of a few, but we still had a good time and it was great catching up with everyone. I have added all the photos from our trip in a separate album but here is a small sampling.

The Girls

The Birthday Girl!


Stan and his brother John

The Lovely Samantha!

Fantastic baked goods from Carol!



Game of Scrabble - Samantha smoked the group!

Missing UK

I have not been back since July and I can HONESTLY say I am missing MANY things about the UK! I will mention some here but of course this is NOT a comprehensive list. The things that first come to mind Henley-on-Thames, Lavender Cottage (Rebecca and Mike), The Row Barge - Neal, Jim, Christie, Marcus (sp?) Giles (sp?again), Mark (hope you like the cheese-hat) anyway the whole crew at the Barge! Viv, Derrick and Heschel - is Heschel still there?? I would have liked to have dinner again with Les and Jonathon, Hugh & Sandra - good people all around.

Fish and chips, Pints - green, green, green everywhere - charming beyond charming, lovely accents, driving on the left (well for me riding on the left), Gabriel Machin, squirmy the cat, castles, pubs, did I mention Pints...ahhh what a wonderful experience it was. Thanks to all for welcoming us in and please know if ever in MN look us up :)

Defintion of Lintel

This definition from the Wiki best describes the manner in which we are using them.
Lintel Decorative use:
The use of the lintel form (rather than as a construction technique) has been employed in the architecture of many cultures over time. In non-classical architecture a lintel was frequently used for purely ornamental purposes, having no structural function.

Lintels

Last weekend Stan and I were able to complete 3 new lintels on the front of our house. I did the priming and painting and Stan did all the hard work - measuring each window, making the lintel from scratch to fit each window perfectly and finally getting on the ladder and securing them to the house :) I think he did a great job. I was a bit nervous about how this would look, but as usual Stan knew what he was doing. We still need to paint the trim to match the lintel but otherwise I think those 3 are close to being done.

Before with NO lintel...

After with lintel...

Alone time...

Stan left today for a long trip through Asia and Australia. I know we will miss each other greatly...He is my BEST friend and I love him dearly, the house feels so empty when he's not here, Home is NOT home without him. So, what do I do? Okay, I have to admit, the first night he is away I have a bit of a routine, I indulge in a long HOT bath, lots of "emo" music (as Stan calls it) as loud as I want and some vino to cap off the night.

I know that Stan and I would both agree - alone time can be very healthy for relationships, but again, I have to admit, after one night, I miss him and I wish he was coming home sooner than later.

hmmm...

Okay, we have been thinking about changing the lintels on the exterior of the house.

I know what your thinking!...Wow this is exciting and seriously - WHAT a great blog entry!

I will be honest, I was getting some pressure for some updates - who knew blogging came with such demands. Let me tell you - when you don't have kids or pets you REALLY need to look for material.

My husband came up with this design. He built this on the new widow that he installed in the kitchen...what do you think? I thought he did a pretty good job but we have LOTS of windows...This could be a big job.