Monday, July 18, 2016

Summertime Summertime

How's your summer going so far? It's about mid-point and you know that once August hits, time really flies by. Have you done all you've wanted to yet?


Here is a my summer so far in pictures. There are some home improvements, graduations, a birthday, an anniversary and some other assorted things.


My daughter Jena painted our front porch for us. She insisted (for a price!) and we are so glad she did.


Isn't it pretty?



I almost didn't want to put any of the furniture on it. But I did. The pillows and rug are new. My attempt at adding more aqua in my life!


The bucket to the left of the chair with the twigs in it is new too. It is a vintage apple picking bucket, which is near and dear to my heart. I lived in an apple orchard and the pickers with these buckets slung over their shoulder was a familiar site.


My son Michael graduated from high school. Here he is with a few of his "lunch table" friends.


We bought him a few gifts for being on the honor roll, winning scholarships and just being an all around great kid. He turns 18 in a few weeks.

These are his new "kicks" as he calls them. They have to be LeBron James' brand.


He is teaching himself guitar and was using my old acoustic guitar. Time for an upgrade to a nice, red electric guitar.


Yes, we spoil him :-)



My granddaughter Chloe graduated pre-school and will start Kindergarten in the Fall. This is the year she will graduate high school. Yikes!!




Our silly kitty Cyrus turned one year old on July 1st.



He is not only silly, but a little crazy. Here he is playing fetch. He loves jumping up to catch his toy.



That is a real picture. It has not be edited :-0

We went to opening day of the Renaissance Faire in Sterling, NY. It is done very well with the authentic costumes and accents and events of Medieval England. This was the Sing-Along at the last half hour of the day.




We spent the 4th of July at a Red Wings baseball game with fireworks following. They are a local minor league team. It is nice to have them nearby to go in the summer for some baseball, peanuts and cracker jacks!



I went strawberry picking with my daughter. We ran out of time before we had to get back for pedicures so it was the fastest 2 quarts I ever picked. I got two batches of jam and a strawberry rhubarb pie out of them.




My husband and I celebrated 20 years of marriage on July 13th. It was a 90+ degree humid day so all we wanted to do was be in air conditioning. We went on a shopping spree at the mall, which was to buy anything we wanted the whole day. Looking back I didn't buy enough!


We also went to see the movie The Shallows. It was really good! All I will tell you is that it is about a girl on a rock in the ocean and a shark.


Our day ended with dinner at a restaurant called Otto Tomattos.




There has been lots of thrifting and garage sales and barn sales. My granddaughter Cassidy and I have been going on Fridays when she is with me for the day. We found this great barn sale nearby and spent an hour going through everything. I bought a lot of great treasures, some to sell, some to keep.




We had been working on our dining room and decided to give up and give in. It was just too much work. We hired my niece's husband to finish the job. It turned out phenomenal! There is still one more thing to be hung before I do a reveal.


Here is a sneak peak at the color. That's all I've got for now!




We have had a very dry, hot, humid summer so my gardens are not looking very good and the grass is brown and crunchy. I did enjoy my Mock Orange Tree in bloom in late Spring though. It is always a highlight of the weather turning warm.



I hope your summer has been all that you planned for, or hoped for.


There is still a lot of summer left so enjoy!


AnnMarie xoxo


I am joining these great blog parties this week:


Make It Pretty Monday
Share Your Cup
Thoughts of Home on Thursday
Simple & Sweet Fridays

23 comments :

  1. What a great post, AnnMarie!
    Congratulations to your son! Your love gifts were wonderful and I'm sure your son appreciates them.
    Happy Anniversary to you and your husband, and what a great idea to shop and buy all that you desire.
    Fresh strawberries...oh how I would love some of those as we do not get fresh where we live. When we were back in Canada I was hoping for some fresh berries but they were not yet out.
    What a beautiful wrap around porch you have to enjoy and how sweet of your daughter to do the painting. :)

    My summer has been going by quickly it seems, but I have certainly been enjoying all it's beauty.

    The Lord bless you~~

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  2. AnnMarie, joy springs from every word of this post...and oh my...is that a bat inside your house??? Congrats to your son on being the 'all round good kid'. It's what we all hope for, isn't it. Love, Mimi xxx

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  3. Wow, Ann Marie, you pack it all in! Love your pretty porch and Congrats on all of the milestones that happened in your family!

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  4. Ann Marie,
    What an amazing Summertime! Congratulations on the graduation of your son, such a big event in your life and graduations always bring a tear to my eye. Your strawberry pie is amazing and my I would love to have a slice right this minute.
    Your cat is over the top! Made me smile:)
    Have a lovely day, my friend!
    xo
    Jemma

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  5. Hi Ann Marie, WOW you are having an amazing summer and getting so much accomplished. Happy Anniversary to you and your hubby. Happy Graduation to your son from high school and little grand daughter from preschool. Love your painted porch and the pops of aqua. I've added it too last year and so love it throughout the house here and there. Oh my gosh your pie looks so delicious!! Looking forward to seeing your redecorated dining room. Loved seeing your little kitty flying up in the room to catch a toy. At first look I thought it was a bird in the house.
    Enjoyed the catch up with you. Have a great week and blessings to you! xo

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  6. Oh, Happy Anniversary to you, sweet friend! What a blessing to be married for 20 years.

    And congratulations to your son. I am not surprised that he an all around good kid because he has you as his mother and you're simply one of the sweetest ladies ever :)

    Looks like you are enjoying your summer, dear one. We hope to go camping in August so hopefully we will find some time to do so.

    Hugs to you!

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  7. Wow! You have been a busy lady! Your porch looks so beautiful, your kitty has gotten so big (handsome boy), and I can't wait to see the dining room reveal. Congratulations to your son and to you for celebreating 20 years! Have a lovely week.

    Hugs, Vicky

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  8. AnnMarie,
    I enjoyed your share in this Summer post. The painted porch looks pretty and I like the aqua and blue textiles you added. Congrats to your son Michael on his graduation and his ambition to self teach guitar. My grand who's 13 is also learning to play guitar. We purchased him a guitar from Sam Ash and a bunch of learning DVD's from Amazon. Congrats on your 20th wedding anniversary. I am now wanting to walk around a flea market this weekend from your photos. I haven't enjoyed it as much as I'd like this Summer. It has been oppressively hot and central air beckons me to stay in and work on my fairytale, lol.
    xoxo,
    Vera

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  9. Wow...that is a lot of summertime!! Congratulations on your anniversary and son's graduation! It goes by too fast doesn't it? That jumping kitty picture is very cool...and now I have to go and Google that movie. Curiosity you know!! Enjoy the rest of the week, Ann Marie!

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  10. Your front porch is so, so pretty, AnnMarie. I just love it. Our son graduated this year too - so hard to believe how fast it all goes. It sounds like you're having a very fun summer!

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  11. Your front porch is beautiful...it's often so worth hiring out those big home projects. Congrats to your graduate. Fun looking through your photos of special occasions and fun family times.
    Mary Alice

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  12. It has been a year of highlights for your family. Congratulations Michael...wow...an honors student; you must be very proud. I echo your thoughts regarding the year 2029...I don't even want to think about that. =) That barn sale looks amazing. I can imagine you found oodles of goodies. The Renaissance Faire looks like a lot of fun and that rhubarb pie...YUMMO. And...the piece de resistance is your front porch. Jena has done the most wonderful job. I love the furniture on it and that rug....looks like the perfect spot to sit and relax and have an iced cool tea.

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  14. Wow, You've had a lot of good stuff happening this summer! Love the newly painted porch. That cat is CRAZY! LOL And I have a little Chloe too! And that barn sale makes me giddy!
    :) gwingal

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  15. Hi AnnMarie, first of all congratulations to your son in graduating, your little Chloe graduating pre-school and celebrating 20 years of marriage! Oh, and Happy Birthday to Cyrus - that was quite a jump!( and great photo!) I looooove your front porch - oh my - I would never want to leave! Your daughter did a wonderful job and I like the blue chair and apple picking bucket. A great remembrance of that special time in your life growing up. That is the most amazing barn sale I have ever seen. I'm sure you found lots of treasures. Can't wait to see your finished dining room. I can't believe summer is half over already.....xx Karen

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  16. Hi AnnMarie, you have so many wonderful things going on in your life this summer. I love you porch! I use to be called the porch lady because in the house that I raised my children in had a wonderful porch in the front and passing neighbors just had to stop and chat. I miss those times. Thank you for sharing at SYC! xx Jo

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  17. I'd go crazy at a barn sale like that, hope you found some wonderful treasures. Sounds like you've been keeping really busy this summer. Congratulations on all the milestones in your family.
    LOVE your porch!

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  18. Ann Marie, you have had a fulfilling summer! Congrats to your great son. Sounds like those gifts were well deserved! Love how your porch turned out and the apple basket is a fabulous treasure. Sumer is flying by and we have not had a lot of time for fun, but it's never too late, right? lol! We have a family reunion next week and are going to Disneyland with some of our kids in Aug. Would love going to a sale like that. Thanks for sharing with SYC.
    hugs,
    Jann

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  19. AnnMarie ~ Congrats to your son! How exciting and I know you are proud! Your porch looks so pretty and fresh and I just can't wait to see your dining room reveal! Blessings, Cecilia

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  20. Ann Marie- you are having a very special summer. Congratulations to your son.
    Thank you for joining us at Thoughts of Home.
    Hope to see you next week too.

    Laura
    White Spray Paint

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  21. Ann Marie, what a fun and exciting summer for you! Congrats to your son, Happy 20th Anniversary! Your porch looks great! Hot summer in the Deep South! Pam @ Everyday Living

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  22. Happy Belated Anniversary! It sounds like your summer is going great, minus no rain. We finally received a downpour yesterday, which was off and on and we got over 1.5 inches at our cottage. BTW, I love your porch!

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  23. So much to comment on I just know I'll forget something, but for sure your fur baby is at the top of the list! Holy moly that pic is hysterical!!

    Your porch looks great, and I know what you mean about not wanting to out anything on it when it looks so fresh and clean.

    Happy belated anniversary! Ours is Saturday, and I think we have a few years on you :)

    Congrats to your son and his efforts to reach himself guitar are commendable. He sounds like a great kid!

    We saw a minor league game last week when the grands were with us up in Pittsfield Ma. I didn't realize you were driving distance from Sterling. We've been to that Fair, although it's been many years. We went when we lived in NY.

    That movie sounds suspenseful!

    Enjoy your week, and let's hope for some rain.

    xxx



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