a break

I've been away from the computer

enjoying time with all four of our silly girls...

 

 

I spent a week in North Dakota

then daughter knit and pearl and baby brought me home

and stayed a few days.

 

 

What a treat for this mother and grandmother

 to have so much time with them.

 

 

Our house is sadly quiet once again

with only the sound of Mr. b and I rambling around in it.

 

 

Tomorrow...

 Birdie and I will think about doing a little Halloween decorating.

 

~b

 



this, that, and the other

I'm cleaning off my table today...

trying to price things
 and box up for our next Dakota Kids show.

 

 

Making tags and pricing our handmade items

 is time consuming and sometimes difficult.

 

 

I love a cute label don't you?

 

 

More burp cloths.

 

 

I'm noticing that some designers are putting

minky on the back of their burp cloths.

Soft? yes

Absorbent? NO

 

I've used soft terry cloth on the back of these.

 

But a burp cloth with flannel on both sides

 keeps my costs and yours down

and

they are my favorite.

 



 

I love handmade toys!

I'm quite sure I should have been born in the last century.

 

 

~b

2 by 2

I love knitting.

 

 

Can you tell?

 

And I love knitting booties (and mittens)...

 but when I get one done

I'm never crazy about making that second one.

 

 

I'm so glad we only have one head!

 

Working with variegated yarn helps a little.

 

 

These boots were made for walking...

 

 

One of these days these booties are gonna walk all over you.

 

~b

 



125 years ago

On the road to statehood...

 

  Mr. b and I decided to look up this wagon train
 traveling 20 miles north of us Sunday.

After all...we love us some country air!

 

 

The 125th Birthday Wagon Train
 is part of this year's celebration of 

 South Dakota's Quasquicentennial.

 

The 17-day wagon train is traveling on township and county roads,

 in road ditches and along undeveloped section lines.

 Near to what was an old trail that went from Yankton to Mitchell to Pierre.

 

 

I loved this one with it's old wooden wheels.

 

 

Imagine traveling like this 125 years ago.

 

 

These are some very dedicated cowboys.

 

 

The trail ends at the state capitol in Pierre, South Dakota

September 20...

after covering almost 250 miles.

 

~b

 

 

 

 

 



chili time

Hello...

 

 

Friday here.

Our weather turned cold and into chili season.

It's always fun to use the last of the garden tomatoes

 in a big pot of chili.

 

 

Receiving blanket by Dakota Maid.

I love how the leaf stitching on the blanket border turned out.

 

I had a great birthday this week.

Mr. b always makes sure my day is extra special.

 

 I received a box of goodies in the mail

 from daughter knit and pearl and family...

 

 

"There is more to life than Knitting...

But Not Much."

I love this t-shirt!

 

Have a great weekend...

 

 

it may be time to hit some roadside farm stands for us.

 

~b

 

 

 

 



soccer

The granddaughters are playing soccer...

I guess it's never to early to learn sportsmanship

and being a team player.

 

 

How to win gracefully and how to lose with dignity

are also valuable lessons to learn at this young age.

 

And a big shout out to the coaches

 that somehow manage to have an unending

 amount of patience teaching these kids.

 

 

~b

 

 

mums

It's always a good thing to have a little morning coffee left over

for an ice coffee in the afternoon.

 

 

When I couldn't bear sitting with my leg up

one more minute!

I got up and made banana bread.

 

With fall just around the corner

I just want to cook and bake.

 

 

I came home yesterday with this huge pot of mums

from my son's family for my birthday.

Now I just want to head straight to the pumpkin patch

for a couple of huge pumpkins.

 

~b

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



This week...

I made a cobbler out of North Dakota Juneberries this week...

Very good!

 

 

I will never ever again fry potatoes!

These oven baked new potatoes with garlic, onions and peppers

exceeded my expectations.

 

 

I hate frying in my kitchen...

the mess and smell!

 

 

I'm working on some new burp clothes for our shop...

 

 

With three granddaughters I don't why in the world

 I was drawn to so many blue fabrics?

 

 

Maybe they chose me?

 

 

One of these three granddaughters is bound to be a Tomboy right?

 

 

I'm saving all my quarters after seeing this picture.

 

 

Gotta love a sleepyhead that looks this cute in the morning.

I will be giving her and her sister...

 

 

lots of hugs tonight.

 

~b

 

 

 

 

 

 



garden tour

Come take a garden tour with me.

NOT my gardens...sorry to say.

 

 

I found myself in this backyard in Rolla, ND

 with a little time to kill and my camera in hand.

 

I took these without asking...bad etiquette wouldn't you say?

 

 

I want to move into this tiny cottage don't you?

 

 

 

 

Another hidden treasure...

an old bird cage tucked amongst the vegetable vines.

 

 

 

A fairy garden?

 

 

 

 

~b

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



trippin'

We were road trippers this weekend.

Where we live it can be a long way to get to anywhere...

our world is pretty small.

 

 

Heading to the water is always a good choice for us.

And I love that it always includes a seafood meal or two.

 

 

I have a lot of good memories of Lake Okoboji in Iowa.

My parents took us there when we were kids...

where we could hang out on the beach

and swim like the fish we were.

 

This is my parents and youngest sister in 1966.

 

Many years later we took our kids here also for boating.

 

 

Things haven't changed much...

 

 

the old wooden roller coater we rode in 1966 is still there.

 

and the TIPSY HOUSE!

 

 

48 years ago, WOW.

Look at that station wagon.

 

All good memories on this Labor Day weekend.

 

~b