WE'RE BACK!...VACATION PART 1

Well we're back from vacation. There's always mixed emotions at the end of vacation...you know the ones...so sad it's over but also glad to be back home.  Of course, it's the going back to work that is the part we could all do without! Hehehe.

Vacation was a blast!  We didn't get to do a lot of the things we were planning on, like taking the boat out for a spin...because the lake was just WAY too flooded for our comfort.

Normally the water is a nice blue green and beautiful but not this time. Most of the boat ramps were closed and though I don't have pictures of it, there was LOTS of debris floating around.  Too dangerous for boating in our little boat!! However we made everyday a new adventure as we took little day trips to see the sights in the surrounding area. We went to Paris and Mexico

Ha, don't you just love it!!! Paris and Mexico just 26 miles apart...I WISH!!!

We also traveled to Florida...Florida, Missouri that is...

The birthplace of Samuel L. Clemens...aka, Mark Twain.

The famous author of novels involving the adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. We also visited the town of Hannibal where Mark Twain grew up and where many of the stories that he wrote took place. Pretty cool!!!

The visitor center in Florida has a fabulous museum and houses the original cabin Samuel was born in...

Yes that is a full size cabin inside of another building.  The picture makes it look tiny and indeed it was small but a full size cabin just the same.



Here the pictures of my family in front of it gives you a better sense of the actual size...

It was so neat!! You can just see the excitement and enthusiasm on hubs' face, can't you?

The inside was furnished just as it might have been the day Samuel was born.  A small kitchen/cooking area along with a bed in the main living area...

Love the old time worn table...WAY smaller but very similar to the farmhouse style tables everyone is swooning over nowadays...

Not sure they had very comfortable nights sleep in those lumpy beds back then...hehehe, but you gotta love the handmade quilt...GORGEOUS!! Notice the trundle?  Yes two beds in one!! Very efficient for a family with more than a few kiddos!

This cabin had two rooms, the living area and a separate "master" bedroom equipped with yet another lumpy bed, a chifferobe closet (far left) and of course a cradle for baby...

This cabin was so cute and really very efficient for the day. I think it would've been pretty comfortable to live in...well that is if it would've had air conditioning!!!

Out in the "yard" behind the cabin was a few linen making tools...

The ladies made their own high quality, all natural linens, clothes and rugs (like the ones shown on the floors of the cabin) from homegrown flax back then. Not quite as easy as buying them on ebay from France like some of y'all do now. Hehe.

The other side of the museum had various displays depicting other parts of Mark Twain's (Samuel Clemens') life...

Like his life as a boy living along the Mississippi River in Hannibal, and that, before he became a world renowned writer he was a riverboat captain and much, much more.

They even had his old horse drawn carriage on display...

This museum also had one of the best displays I have ever seen in a museum...ANYWHERE...a display where a local artist made very realistic virtual scenes from the book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (which I did not take pictures of). I know, poo on me, right?  Anyway, if you want to see those you will just have to make the trip to Florida, Missouri to see them for yourself.  You won't be disappointed!

After leaving the museum we decided to travel the 1/4 mile up the road into the town of Florida to where the original cabin was found and I couldn't resist taking a picture of this GORGEOUS old cabin that looks like a mansion in comparison to the one Clemens was born in.

It's a beauty isn't it? Boy times sure were different back then! You gotta love American History.  

The best part of this day trip is it was all FREE. Visiting the museum and seeing all this fabulous stuff costs nothing. Well, unless you want to buy a few of Mr.Twain's novels that are for sale in the lobby. Even those are very inexpensive. Sis got the classic, infamous book mentioned above for only $4. Can't beat that.

I don't want to bore you with my vacation but I hope to be back later this week with a few other adventures, like our trips to visit the two covered bridges I mentioned a few weeks ago...See I told you I would talk the hubs into it...hehehehe.

See you soon!!

THINKING ABOUT VACATION...

The Rodgers family will be heading off on vacation this coming weekend....YAYYYYY!!!! It's a much NEEDED time away.  Reservations have been made at a cabin near Mark Twain Lake and I have been scouring Pinterest for all sorts of fun ideas to make this vacation as fun filled as possible.

I have looked for fun and unique meals to have like foil packs....

Chili over cornbread waffles...

Philly Cheese steak sloppy joes....MMMM...

Omelets in a bag...

or Blueberry foil pack french toast for breakfast...

For dessert...

Waffle cone s'mores....OMGOODNESS!!!

I have also added in a few activities to do with the kids like play frisbee, put together a BIG puzzle, make pet rocks, have a scavenger hunt...

and water balloon batting practice....

which my baseball playing 9 year old will LOVE! and...

Vacation wouldn't be complete without a couple of funny photo opportunities...

I bought a HUGE box of rubber bands just for the occasion...hehehe!

I can't wait to try all these ideas out.  You know I will share them with you when I get back.

I wonder if I will have success or if I will be coming back with a whole bunch of Pinterest fails.  WE SHALL SEE!

No matter what, it will be FUN and it will be VACATION!!!...and I am SOOOOO ready!

Do you have any vacation plans?  Do tell!  I read ALL my comments!

PS.  To the sweet friend who told me that she has TRIED several times to leave me a comment but couldn't, I have changed the blogs settings so that anyone can comment now, even the non-registered users. I had set the program to only accept comments from registered users a few years back because I was getting some unwanted MEAN and UGLY commentors here.  For now though anyone can comment so be sure to leave me a word...or two. I can't wait to hear from you...all!!

Have a fabulous day! I'll be back after vacation!

THE LONG AWAITED DEBUT OF THE DIY DRIFTWOOD MIRROR...

Well it's done! The DIY round driftwood mirror is FINALLY done! It took a month of Sundays (or more) to complete but it's DONE!!

It took a while to gather all the driftwood needed (probably around 150 - 200 pieces total). Yes, that much!!, and thanks to the recent flooding that I talked about HERE, I was able to gather it up much sooner than expected.  YAY!!

Then there was the gluing...then waiting for the glue to dry...then gluing some more and waiting for the glue to dry again....and again.  Yes, this project was one that took much patience but the end result is well worth it.  Well here, see for yourself...

I do have to apologize for the pictures...

There really are NO good ones as this porch is just tooooooo tiny to get any good shots, but...IT IS WHAT IT IS!!  Besides a camera just cannot show you the beauty and clarity that the naked eye can; so, to see this GORGEOUS mirror in all it's glory, you are just gonna have to come over for a visit. The porch is pretty much done (just a couple finishing touches left) so don't hesitate to stop by for a chat. We'll sit and talk about the lovely weather we're having, sip on some sweet, ice cold tea, and oooh and ahhh over just how pretty this mirror...and the porch...really is.

The mirror was a totally FREE project. I already had the 12" round mirror. Of course you know the driftwood was free and I had a piece of 1/4" thick wood paneling in my stash that I used for the backing.  So yes, a totally FREE mirror which is a GREAT deal when you consider that you can't touch a driftwood mirror of any kind in the stores or on the internet for under $100.

It doesn't look very big on the wall but it actually is quite large, around 36" in diameter or so and is a very quality piece. I couldn't be happier with it.

From this vantage point you can get kind of a full view of the porch...with mirror...and a little peek at the flower bed that runs around this side of the house (oh and peeling and chipping siding that we are going to have to fix this fall). I still plan on showing you the whole flower bed but just haven't had a chance yet.

Of course as you can tell I need a few more plants on this side and to do a little tweaking but that's gonna have to wait a while. Vacations coming!! The good news is, the cardboard weed barrier is doing a FABULOUS job!! YAYYY!!

Oh, but we were talking about that GORGEOUS mirror, weren't we?

I am genuinely thrilled with how this project turned out. Truthfully, I am quite proud of it because it was something I really wanted and I saved a TON of money by making it myself. That's why I love DIY so much. Plus it's a quality piece that was made right and is going to last a while. I put quite a lot of time, effort and GLUE (a whole bottle of Elmer's wood glue, hehe) into this piece and it really shows.

So, why don't you come on by the porch sometime and have a real look at it!  I'll be here enjoying the lovely weather and the view.

Have a great day, friend!!







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