Countryview Woodcrafts

The Clarinda Cardinal

2012-01-28T16:39:00.002-06:00

I think that I mentioned in a previous post about working on a few orders I have received for Clarinda Cardinals. Well today I thought I would share a photo with you of what they look like. You might ask the question "what is a Clarinda Cardinal"? Well just North of us about 40 miles or so is the town of Clarinda Iowa and this is the mascot for their High School sports teams. A friend of mine who lives up that way has already ordered 5 of these for her friends. I had three done when I had my kidney stone episode last Sunday and I have just not been able to sit at my painting table for very long at a time, so I still have 2 to paint yet. I am hoping to be able to get back to painting some tomorrow, I guess we will have to wait and see how I feel. Actually I feel pretty good but this stent is VERY uncomfortable and makes it hard for me to sit at my table very long. I have to take quite a few breaks to lay down, I'm more comfortable laying down. Then I get back up and go at it again for awhile. But if I just keep going at it a little at a time I should be able to get the other 2 finished by the end of next week. I have a appointment this coming Thursday, in Maryville, to get this crazy thing removed. I can't wait!! The articles I've read about these stent's, and what I was told by the urologist, you are supposed to be able to go on with your everyday routine, but I honestly don't know how, when you are so uncomfortable and have to stay so close to the bathroom. Well anyway it will all be over next Thursday and THEN maybe I can get back to a more normal routine :-) I hope so because Spring is just around the corner and I have alot I want to get painted before it gets here, and I feel like we are going to have an early Spring to boot.

That's about it for now folks from here at Countryview so I will sign off for now. I hope you all have a wonderful, restful, peaceful night and remember to Walk with the King and BE a blessing :-)

Bill

Rough Week

2012-01-27T12:09:00.002-06:00

Well folks I have had kind of a rough week this past week, starting Sunday (the 22nd) morning. I woke up about 6:30 Sunday morning with a terrible pain in my back and side. I thought maybe I had just laid wrong while I was sleeping but it didn't take me long to realize that was not the case. Roxi had to be to work at 7:00 and I told her to go ahead and if the pain got any worse I would call her. Well I called her about 7:30 and told if she couldn't come home to take me to the hospital I was going to have to call an ambulance, the pain was just unbearable and I was vomiting, I had no idea what was going on. Roxi came home and got me to the hospital where we discovered I had a .8cm kidney stone that was NOT going to pass, it was just to big. So I was shipped off to the hospital in St Joe to have surgery to remove it. I was in a bad way folks :-( I don't ever remember having a pain that severe. The doctor got the stone removed with a scope and laser which helped alot but I have stent in right now and it is not very comfortable that's for sure. But hey, I am on the mend and certainly much better than Sunday morning. I get the stent taken out next Thursday (the 2nd) and then maybe I can get back to a more normal daily routine.

This Wednesday (the 25th) I went to the Fairfax hospital to see my Neurologist Dr. Makos again to get the results of my MRI and everything there turned out real good. As a matter of fact she said it was beautiful. SOOO, since she has ruled everything else out she made the official diagnosis that I have Familial Spastic Paraparesis, a nerve disease effecting the legs mostly, that runs in my family. Some of you that are not familiar with my Dad may be wondering what exactly this disease does. Well to make a long story short my legs will progressively get weaker and weaker as the years go by. Sometimes the disease progresses slowly and in other folks a little faster. I already use a cane if I am going to be walking very far and I will have to use it more and more as time goes by. Someday I may have to use a walker and (hopefully not) a wheel chair. My Dad is in a wheel chair but then the disease set on much earlier in his life than mine did, He was retired and on disability a 45, I am 52. There is no official treatment for the disease, some Doctors like to use physical therapy so the patient can maintain as much use of their legs as they can for as long as possible, but that is about it. I have been very fortunate to have had the use of my legs and as much use as I still have for as many years as I have. To me it is not a depressing thing since I have lived around it all my life. My Dad has it and my Grandpa Hamilton(his dad) had it also, so I know what to expect. The disease is not life threatening like ALS or MS and the likes but it is disabling. In case you a wondering, yes I have applied for disability and hopefully it will be approved soon. Dr. Makos does not think there will be a problem. I hope not.

I guess the only depressing part of the disease to me is this, I have always been the type of man that was more than willing to get out and do what ever I had to do to make an honest living, and now I can't. I have worked at many things in my life and enjoyed every minute of it. But now I have come to the point in my life where I can not do most of the things (work wise) that I used to do. But I guess that is the way it goes sometimes. Of course I still will be able to paint my wood crafts and that makes me really happy, because without that I may very well go crazier than I already I am :-) And of course I will still be able to go fishing :-) I told my Sweetie,Roxi, that I will not just sit down in a chair and let the disease take over. I will do as much as I can for as long as I can, period :-) As time goes by it will become "harder" to do some things but I will do them to the best of my ability and the things I can't take care of myself, well my sweetie has vowed to be here for me and take care of me. And to those of you that don't know my life before Roxi, well lets just say that is a GREAT comfort just knowing I will not be alone :-)

Well folks I guess I have rambled on about long enough for now. I do want to take the time to comment to my anonymous reader that leaves comments for me, Thank you for stopping by my blog and taking the time to leave a comment for me I truly appreciate it :-) I guess with that I will sign off for now, I hope you all have a wonderful day today and remember to, Walk with the King today and BE a blessing.

Bill

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MRI

2012-01-18T17:41:00.003-06:00

A week ago on the 9th, I went to the Fairfax Hospital and had my MRI done. I won't have the results until next Wednesday, the 25th, but one thing I can tell you for sure is this, I DON'T LIKE THAT MRI !! I knew I was going to have trouble with it when the neurologist, Dr. Makos, told me she wanted me to have an MRI head scan. So she prescribed me a 10mg. valium to help me out. Well to be honest with you the valium didn't help any more than my Xanax does everyday. I knew it was going to be a tight space but let me tell you folks, that thing squeezed me down pretty good. I am 6' tall and weigh 280, I don't think someone any bigger than me would have fit in there LOL. I was never so glad for a test to be over in my life! All in all it took about 45 minutes and that was about 40 minutes longer than I would have liked. Then later that evening, while Roxi was talking to my Aunt on the phone, I found out that I could have gone to St. Joe where they have an OPEN MRI !! I didn't know there was such thing!! So long story short, if I ever have to have another MRI I will go to Heartland Hospital in St. Joe where they have an open one LOL. I told Dr. Makos that she was wasting her time with a head scan, there is nothing in there, just a big echo chamber. She thought that was quite funny LOL. I know that between being electroshocked with the EMG test and then being squeezed down in that MRI like a hot dog in a bun I have gone just about as far as I'm going to go with this test crap. OH and having 10 vials of blood drawn, no kidding they took 10 vials, for a "little" blood work, just what else could she possibly want done? I guess we will find out on the 25th :-)

I have been having alot of trouble getting back into my regular painting routine. It just seems like I either don't have the energy or when I do have the energy (and desire) there are to many other things needing my attention. I know that spring is just around the corner and if I intend to be out there selling my wood crafts I need to get my butt busy!! So for those of you out there that are praying folks, please pray for me. Cause as a really good preacher I know says "I need the prayer and you need the practice" :-)

We have gotten spoiled here with the really nice weather fall and winter we have had. The night before last we got about an inch of snow (which is not very much for us here) and I am not liking it at all. And if that is not bad enough, the high temp tomorrow is only supposed to be 12, yuck! But we really can't complain at all because we have had a VERY nice winter. Here we are at the 18th of January, that means it is only 2 more months till the first day of spring, well 2 months plus 2 days anyway. So I will not complain, I've seen MUCH worse winters here for sure.

Well folks I've got supper cooking and I'm at a critical point so I better sign off for now. Hope you all have a restful, peaceful night and always remember to, Walk with the King and BE a blessing.

Bill

Yet Another Reason

2012-01-15T19:23:00.002-06:00

This afternoon I found yet another reason (as if I needed one) to dislike Facebook. I tried to delete MY Facebook account this afternoon and can you believe it, I have to "request permission" from Facebook to delete MY account!! How controlling is that folks? Why on earth would I need permission from Facebook to delete MY OWN Facebook account?? I am not a student in school needing to raise my hand to get "permission" to do anything. I didn't have to "request permission" from Facebook to open MY account so why do I have to get their permission to close it? I'm not understanding this at all!! I can "disable" my Facebook but I have to request their permission to delete it! What kind of game is Facebook running anyway? Are they wanting to "save" all my information I have put on there before they "allow" me to delete my page? I don't know but I do not like it one bit!!

Well anyway, I guess there is not much I can do about it but I don't have to like it. It makes me pretty nervous about Facebook though. Why would it matter to them if I close my account or not? I guess I just needed to vent about it a little and now that I have I will move on to another subject :-)

I have been trying to get more painting done the last couple of days and I've been sort of successful :-) There seems to still be to many other things that require my attention during the day but I will just have to learn how to manage my time better and get it all worked in, even if it means staying up later.

I am working on some special order lawn ornaments for a friend in Clarinda Iowa. Their High School team is the Clarinda Cardinals they want some lawn ornaments so I was the man to come to for that :-) I already have orders for five and I am sure that number will continue to rise as we go along. But that is a good thing though :-) That's what I want.

Other than that folks there is not much else going on here at Countyview so I will sign off for tonight and go do some more painting. I hope you all have a restful, peaceful night and remember to, Walk with the King and BE a blessing :-)

Bill

Back To Blogging

2012-01-13T19:24:00.002-06:00

Over the last few days I have done alot of thinking about my use of time and I have come to the conclusion that I have burned up way to much time on that crazy obsession, Facebook. I have had my Facebook account for almost two years now and I have spent entirely to much time reading everyone's drama, looking at their silly posts, and spending way to much time playing the games.

Last night while laying in bed trying to get to sleep I thought if I had spent the same amount of time painting wood crafts as I have spent on Facebook, well I would have enough stuff painted and ready for sale to make a pretty good chunk of change. Also, I thought, Bill you should devote your time to blogging (which is what I originally started out with on the computer) instead of "Dramabook" aka Facebook.

I wondered to myself, why do you want to "connect" with anyone? I am already connected to my sweetie, Roxi, my children, my grandchildren, my Aunt and her family, and my cousin and best friend Randy (actually he's more like my brother) so who else could I want to "connect" with. I have my sister and brothers and of course my Dad. So what possible reason do I have being on Facebook? Well, the only answer I came up with was "something to do", well for crying out loud I had enough to do already!

SO!! I have decided that if anyone wants to "connect" with me then my blog is where they will have to do it. I have sworn off Facebook and will now get back to blogging, which is where I needed to be all along.! I miss posting on my blog and it is high time to get back to it. I know that some of my posts contain alot of drama also, but you know what? it is my blog and I simply share (or used to anyway) my daily life with you folks out there in bloggerland. It is also kind of a daily "journal" of sorts. Not to long ago I was going through my posts from the beginning of this blog and was reminded of so much from the last four years. On many of my posts were comments from my Mom, who passed away three years ago yesterday, and it was like hearing her talking to me again. I have neglected this blog for so long now, mostly for that stupid Facebook, but not anymore!

So here we go folks, I am back to blogging and this is where you will find me instead of

Facebook. For those of you that like Facebook, well that's OK but it's time for me to get back to the basics, painting and blogging :-) Two of my favorite things to do.

I hope you all have a wonderful,peaceful, restful night and I'll see you tomorrow. and always remember to, Walk with the King today and BE a blessing!

Bill

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T19:58:00.003-06:00

It is hard for me to believe that today was Christmas! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and wish you each and everyone a Happy and Prosperous New Year. Here at Countryview we had a pretty good Christmas. My Sweetie, Roxi, had to work from 7:30 this morning till 4 this afternoon, Michael went to his Mothers house for dinner, and me, well I got most of our Christmas supper ready by 1:30 so I went to the Nursing Home and visited my Dad while I waited for Roxi to get off work. Our Daughter,Liz, her boyfriend and our Grandsons Gabe and Tristan came to the house and ate with us. That's about the extent of our Christmas day :-) but it was a great day as far as we are all concerned.

Well I went to Heartland Hospital Friday and had the EMG test done on my right leg and arm. Dr. Bellville told me at the start that it is not a test you want done everyday and she was certainly right. there was two parts to the test, first she took and instrument that looked alot like a stun gun and "zapped" my leg, foot, arm and hand in various places. I use the word zapped because that is what she called it LOL. It started out with a mild zap, kind of a tingling, but it increased to the point that it was actually a pretty good jolt. I was hoping that was the worst part but guess what, it wasn't. The second part involved place a needle into my leg, foot, arm and hand in various locations. Well sticking the needle in wasn't so bad but then she had me "flex" my foot or hand in various directions and that was when it became quite uncomfortable, painful actually. I still have several sore spots on my leg and arm were she stuck me,but I guess that is to be expected.

You might ask "what was all that testing for?" Well my Neurologist had ordered the test to rule out any Motor Neuron problems like ALS and the such. The good news is, I don't have ALS and that is terrific news in itself. Dr. Bellville said the EMG was not the test that they would use to positively diagnose the Familial Spastic Paraparesis that runs in my family, BUT I show very strong signs in the test that I do have it (which I kind of figured already). BUT Dr. Bellville did make a positive diagnoses that I have severe Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in my right hand, for sure. She actually said that she had been performing this test for almost 8 years and I have one of the worst cases she has seen. She said that she was absolutely amazed that I could do the things I do at this point. I had thought for a long time that maybe I had Carpal Tunnel but didn't know, but now I do. She told me that between my hands and my legs she was amazed I was able to do much at all, and still have such a positive attitude. I joked with her through the entire test, she just couldn't believe it LOL. She said I apparently had a high pain tolerance level or I would be complaining instead of joking LOL. It was a fairly painful test but it was something that had to be done, so why complain, Right?

NOW I have an appointment to see my Neurologist, Dr.Makos, at the Fairfax Hospital this Wednesday, the 28th, to see what she has to say. Maybe, just maybe, we can finally get this Spastic Paraparesis diagnosed and move on without all the Doctors and tests. I guess we will see Wednesday at 10:30.

I told my Sweetie that even with a positive diagnoses I am going to continue to use my legs to the best of my ability and yes even sometimes push myself even harder, I refuse to just sit down and let this disease take it's course. And I will continue to paint wood crafts as long as I can grip a paint brush and if I lose the strength in my right hand I will just learn to do it with my left one. I absolutely, positively refuse to quit!!!! My Sweetie calls me stubborn but I say I am very independent :-) An old friend of mine who was the high school Principals secretary when I was in school told Roxi one day "OH, that Bill Hamilton, he certainly is a free spirit" LOL and she would know, I think I spent more time in the Principals office than I did in class LOL. Not really but I did spend more time in his office than I should have :-)

Now, on another note, you will see a link on my blog list to "I Saw It In Color", that is a new blog I have started. I will be sharing my "stories" of my life on there. It seems everytime I get together with old friends and family they ask me to "tell the story about the time that" and I start telling my stories. Often times I will tell someone a story and they will laugh and say "that must have been something to see" and I always reply "You should have seen it in color" LOL and that's why I named my new blog I Saw It In Color :-) I have not "told" a story on there yet but I am going to in the very near future, maybe tomorrow. What do you think I should start with Linda, the bigfoot story ;-) LOL.

Anyway,it is time for me to sign off for tonight folks. I hope you all have a restful, peaceful night and be sure to watch my new blog because I am ready to start telling stories :-) Goodnight

Bill

Long Time Again

2011-12-21T21:53:00.002-06:00

Once again it has been quite awhile since I've posted on my blog and for that folks I apologize. I really don't have a good reason except for laziness, I guess. But anyway here I am tonight and I guess that's all that matters now :-)

There has actually been alot going on here, to much to put into this post tonight. So I will just start anew tonight and we will go from there. I posted a picture of a snow couple and their Christmas tree tonight. I have had them finished for awhile, I just have not taken the time to share the photo with you, sorry. I have made these for several years but this year I made a different tree to go with them. I really like it.

I have finished working on Christmas for this year and I'm moving on to spring and everyday projects now. As I get each one finished I promise to share photos with you.

Friday I have to go to St Joseph, MO. to Heartland Hospital and have some tests done on my legs. The neurologist called it an EMG, some kind of electrical impulse test, or something like that. We are trying to find out if I have the Familial Progressive Spastic Paraplegia that runs in my family. I have had alot of trouble with my legs for quite some time now and it seems to be getting worse so the Doc said it was time to get tested. So Friday morning at 10:30 I will "get tested" :-) The neurologist said they will stick some kind of needles in my legs and and I'm not real excited about that but I guess it has to be done. I'll let you know what I find out when I get the results.

Well folks it is time for me to head off to bed for now. I hope you all have a wonderful, restful, peaceful night.

Bill

Snowmen For Aunt Lucy

2011-12-01T20:51:00.002-06:00

I just wanted to take a few minutes this evening to share a couple of photos with you. I just finished these to cute little snowmen yesterday. I took the pattern for both of them from early 1950's Christmas cards that had belonged to my Great Aunt Lucy, my Grandma's Sister. I found an old box of old greeting cards that had belonged to Aunt Lucy in some of my Grandma's things. As I went through the box I found several that I thought would make excellent wood crafts. These are the first two I have made. I call them Aunt Lucy's Snowmen :-) I am very proud of them, I think they turned out really well.

That's about it folks from here at Countryview. You all have a restful, peaceful night and remember, Walk with the King and BE a blessing :-)

Bill

Still A Country View

2011-11-29T22:01:00.002-06:00

Well the "country view" I have now is not nearly as good as the view I had in Fairfax, but it is still a country view. This first picture was taken facing almost due south standing just off my back porch. And yes that is a cemetary you see there. Tarkio Home cemetary to be exact.
This picture here was taken facing south east from just off my back porch, or the shop as I call it. Because that IS my shop now, but only for now. I am trying to find a garage or shed to rent for a shop, but until I find something else the setup I have will work :-)

Well folks this is a short post tonight but I am headed off for bed. Hope you all have a restful, peaceful night and I'll see you tomorrow.

Bill

What We've Been Working On

2011-11-27T00:34:00.003-06:00

I wanted to take the time tonight to share a few pictures with you of some of the things Roxi and I have been working on lately. These are just two of the many towel toppers Roxi has been crocheting. We have been listing these towel toppers of my Etsy shop also.

Here is the Santa and Mrs. Claus with their Christmas tree I just finished the other day. Of course I have listed them on my Etsy shop. Anyone that has not checked out my shop on Etsy, well all you have to do is click on the link on my blog list :-) We will be adding new items almost daily so be sure to stop by often to see whats new.

In other news, there has not been much going on here at Countryview the last couple of days. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving, even though Roxi had to work till 4. But hey, we just had Thanksgiving supper instead of dinner. I had everything ready when she got home from work. My daughter, Liz, came by with her family and ate with us also. We sure had fun with those grandkids :-) I was just getting ready to put the turkey in the oven when my phone rang, it was my cousin Randy and I was sure glad to get the chance to talk to him. Randy and I are the same age, he being born in July and me in September, and we have always been more like brothers than cousins. I hadn't talked to him since my Grandma's funeral in February and even then we didn't get to talk much. Now that he has my number and I have his we will talk ALOT more often.:-)

As far as the weather goes here, well we had some cold rain last night and today was pretty chilly with very strong winds. The weatherman promises more cold and wind tomorrow also. I'm sure glad I have plenty of work to do inside :-) Well i best sign off for now folks, I hope you all a wonderful, restful, peaceful night. See you next time.

Bill

Well It's Been Awhile Again

2011-11-22T19:44:00.002-06:00

Well, once again, it has been awhile since I've posted on my Blog. I've been busy trying to paint but I have had quite a few "bad" days with my depression and it has not been easy getting things done. I do however keep getting at least a little done each day, but not nearly as much as I want or need to. Tomorrow (Wednesday the 23rd) I have an appointment at the Fairfax Hospital to see a Neurologist about my legs. We have a Family history of Familial Spastic Paraparesis, which is a disease that effects mainly the legs. Over the last 2 or 3 years My legs have progressively gotten weaker and weaker and my Doctor thinks it is time to get things checked out with the Neurologist. It is not a life threatening disease but it will effect my mobility as it progresses. I've not officially been diagnosed yet but we will see what tomorrow brings, I guess. On top of "stressing" about the tests I may have to take I have also had the same ol' problem I've had for the last 5 1/2 years of my Daughter and her Boyfriend fighting like cats and dogs. So for the last few weeks it has been Mi Vida Loco (my crazy life) as usual.

As far as our weather here in NW Missouri, well it has actually been pretty nice for this time of year. We have had a few really cold days but then not as bad as I've seen in years past. I think anyone that complains about the fall weather we have had this year should probably get their head examined because we have certainly had it ALOT worse here this time of year.

I posted a picture this evening of one of the several projects I have been working on. It is a 9 piece snowman Nativity. This is a picture of one I made last year but you get the general idea. I am also working on a couple of new snowmen, for indoor decoration, that I think will turn out really cute. I came up with the idea for the pattern from a box of OLD (from the early 50's) greeting cards that had belonged to my Great Aunt Lucy. I found the box of cards in the trash that was set out from my Grandparents house. I "cabbaged" onto them and found some very interesting cards in it, including the ones I'm using for the 2 new snowmen. I'll be sure to share pictures of them as soon as I get them finished. I think they will turn out REALLY cute.

And, believe it or not I am still painting MORE Herbie Huskers, Still. They seem to be a very popular item. Within the next couple of days I will share a picture of the Santa and Mrs' Claus with their Christmas Tree I just got finished the other day.

So I guess that is probably the short story of what has been going on here a Countryview folks. With that I will sign off for tonight and I'll talk to you the next time. I hope you all have a wonderful, peaceful, restful night folks.

Bill

For The Birds

2011-11-07T21:20:00.002-06:00

I love watching birds. To me they are some of the most beautiful creatures God created. I have several different bird feeders I use. This little porch swing feeder is very special to me. My Mother bought it somewhere down in South Missouri and I wouldn't take any amount of money for it. One of these days I am going to take the measurements and start making them myself, but I already have enough "irons in the fire" to keep me pretty busy.
This is my birdfeeder and birdbath on our front porch, just outside the front room window, If you click on the photo to make it bigger you can see my BIG chair just inside the window. These two plastic birdbaths belonged to my Grandma and Grandpa. No one else wanted them so I brought them home to set up a feeding station right on the porch. See here at the apartments where we live we cannot have anything in the yard. WELL there is more than one way to feed the birds LOL. I drilled 1/4" holes all around the bottom of the one bath, for drainage, and I now use it for bird feed. They love it!! The other one I still use for a bird bath, at least for now, until it gets to cold here. The little decorations you see around them also belonged to my Grandma, she had them in her flower bed and I am so happy to have them. Also you see alot of rocks in the photo, well the "rocks" you see right up next to the house, under the window, were actually stones from the foundation of my Great-Grandparents home (my grandma's parents). I was so sad because when we sold our place in Fairfax and moved to Tarkio I left them behind. A couple of months ago I ask the folks that bought out place if I could have them and they said yes, I was soooo happy to get them back. The rocks you see there in between the feeder and bath are rocks my Grandma picked up all across the country while they were on various vacations and, again, I an so happy to have them.
In this photo you see the swing feeder but you can also see my tube feeder (you may have to click on the photo to enlarge it to see the tube feeder better). The tube feeder I use ALSO belonged to my Grandma, it was the feeder I hung up at the nursing home, while she was there, so she could watch the birds also. I guess I come by my love of bird watching naturally since my Grandma and my Mom both loved watching birds also. So I guess you can tell, these are not just bird feeders to me, they a prized possessions and I get the added bonus of watching all the pretty birds at the same time. I hope you all have a restful, peaceful night and I'll see you next time.

Bill

Home Away From Home

2011-11-01T22:48:00.002-05:00

This is a photo of my Grandparents house in Fairfax Missouri. This was always my home away from home. Grandma and Grandpa's house was always a safe haven for my Sister and I as we grew up. The old house is empty now, having been empty of 72 years of marriage accumulation. It is now up for sale, something I didn't think I would ever live to see. I spent countless hours as a child and adult at this home and I have at least a million memories that I will cherish for ever. I have mowed and raked the yard a gozillion times but now it will be some else's job. I can only hope the new owners, when it sells, will enjoy this home as much as we all did.

To Funny

2011-10-28T20:47:00.002-05:00

I found this photo my Face Book and I could not resist posting it here on my blog. This little guy looks so much like my Grandson Tristan, he evens points his finger at me like that LOL. I have pictures of deer and mounts of deer I have gotten (back when I used to hunt) and Tristan is always saying "deer", "deer"! So I just had to share this with everyone tonight.It's just to funny :-)

This Is Where I work

2011-10-23T20:18:00.003-05:00

Tonight I thought I would share a few photos with you of where I work. Since I work for myself of course my work area's are at home. This first picture is of my "shop" area, yes it is outside, on the porch, but hey it's better than not having a place to work at all. When I am not using the bandsaw I store it in the little storage "shed", you can see the door to it on the extreme right hand side of the picture. I also have my old work bench over on the left side of the photo and, when I have to use them, I just set the sawhorses up just off the edge of the concrete porch. It's kind of a tight working area, and cold in the winter, but I make it work.
This picture is of what I call "the drying rack", it is where I lay the projects I am working on while waiting for the paint to dry. The picture hanging just above the top shelf is one my Sweety painted for me for my Birthday one year. She even made the frame for it herself also.
This last photo is of my favorite spot, the "painting table". This is where I spend most of my day creating and painting the many different wood crafts I make and sell. As you can see I have several photos of very special people and places tacked up on the wall next to me. They are all photos that encourage me daily. The big picture of the wolves hanging above the table is another one my Sweety painted for me, this one was for Christmas one year. The frame it is in was made for me by a dear friend, Dale Wennihan, not long before he passed away. And of course you can see my Bible laying on the table also, I read it daily and believe every word written in it. Just barely in the picture, over on the right, you can see a chair, I have that there in case someone drops by to visit while I work. Usually it is where my Daughter, Elizabeth, sets and talks to me while I paint.

Well there you have it folks, this is where I work :-) I hope you all have a restful, peaceful night and I'll see you tomorrow. And remember, Walk with the King today and BE a blessing!!

Bill

Herbie Husker

2011-10-22T19:07:00.003-05:00

I mentioned in a recent post that I was working on 3 orders for Herbie Husker. Well I got them finished and delivered. Today I got orders for 9 more!! Looks like I will be busy for a few days painting Herbie Huskers. I love it !!! It is very encouraging to me, especially at this time when I have been feeling so bad :)

I hope you all have a restful, peaceful night and a great day tomorrow.

Bill

2011-10-20T20:26:00.002-05:00

Tonight I wanted to share a picture that was taken about a month ago or so. One evening we brought my Dad (that's him in the wheel chair) out to our place for supper. He lives in the Nursing Home here in Tarkio so he don't get to get out often. My Sweety, Roxi, took this picture of Dad, our son Michael and of course Me, the big guy on the left, LOL. I made fried chicken and potato salad for supper that night and we all had a great time.

I finally managed to start getting Christmas projects cut out today. I thought I was going to run out of time before I got all my "chores" done. But I managed to work in a little time to get tings going in the right direction. Tomorrow will be another story though, I intend to cut out several more Christmas projects. So in the next few days you will see some new photos on here as I get each project finished.

For now though, folks, I guess I will sign off and get myself ready for bed. I hope you all have a restful, peaceful night and I'll see you again soon.

Bill

Busy Painting

2011-10-15T20:56:00.003-05:00

This is our Grandson Tristan William (I wonder where the got the name William from) who just turned 1 year old on the 11th. He was playing outside at PaPa's house when the neighbor brought his little dog out and he was really watching him.
But pretty soon "watching" was not enough so little Tristan started heading over to the little dog. I think the dog was excited to see Tristan as Tristan was to see the dog LOL.
I have been very busy painting the last few days. I have an order for three Herbie Husker's and I almost have them finished. Anyone wondering what a Herbie Husker is, I posted a photo of one here. He is the Mascot for the Nebraska Cornhuskers football team. Since we live only a few miles from Nebraska there are alot of cornhusker fans around here. And before my Missouri family and friends get onto me let me say cornhusker money is the same color as ours, green. Actually, I myself, am a Georgia Bulldog fan LOL so it don't bother me a bit :-)

I will finish the Herbie Huskers up tomorrow and then I will be starting on Christmas items, both outdoor and indoor, so be sure to watch for the photos.

Anyone interested in my wood crafts or my Sweeties towel toppers just go to "paintin' Doodads On Etsy" over on my blog list and you will find our work there. And be sure to check the shop out often as we will both be adding new items a couple of times a week at least.

Well folks, it's off to bed for me. I hope you all have a restful, peaceful night and see you next time.

Bill

I Miss This Countryview Very Much

2011-10-11T12:04:00.002-05:00

This is the view I used to have from my "painting table" that I mentioned in my previous post. I miss this view so very much :-(

Traffic Back To Normal FINALLY!!!!

2011-10-08T18:49:00.002-05:00

Tonight I wanted to share a few photos of something new I've came up with this year. They are decorative little pumpkins for indoor use. I just kind of had the idea and this is the finished product. What do you think? If you would to to have some of these Fall Pumpkins just go over to my shop Paintin' doodads on Etsy (the link is on the right) or just drop me a comment on here and I'll get back to you.

The BIG news of the day here at Countryview is that I-29 is finally open again after 4 months of being closed. I couldn't be happier!!! I know it was a hassle for the folks traveling to have to detour through our little towns on a 2 lane blacktop but we had to live with the insanity EVERYDAY and it was not a bit good. Where we live here in Tarkio we HAVE to get on highway 59 to go anywhere in town. Sometimes it would take 10 to 15 minutes just to get on the highway, then we had to go run our errands on top of that. It has been crazy. About an hour ago I has to go to the store for something and the entire trip only took 15 minutes, that's more like it folks!! That's why we live in a small rural town, to avoid the traffic. if I wanted to drive in traffic everyday I would move to the city.

Well for tonight folks I am signing off. I hope you all have a restful, peaceful night.

Bill

It's Been A Long Time

2011-10-06T19:43:00.003-05:00

Well folks once again it has been a long time since I've posted on my blog and for that I am truly sorry. It has been over a month now, well over a month I guess since I've taken the time to get on here and talk about what is going on here at Countryview.

On August 31st I lost another very cherished and loved member of my family, my Grandfather Tom McCall. He seemed to go down hill pretty fast after losing my Grandmother on Feb. 19th of this year. My Grandpa was the greatest, hardest working man I've ever know and he was THE most influential man in my life. He worked at the local grain elevator for 20 years and then went on to own his own grain trucking business which he did until he was over 70 years old. He and my Grandma were married almost 72 years when she passed away in February. When I was younger I went with Grandpa on the truck ALOT and I've helped him clean out way to many grain bins to even begin to count. I guess it was kind of funny that later on in my life I went from cleaning the grain bins out to building them for the farmers to store their corn and soybeans in. I am the oldest of the Grandchildren and I was very lucky to have gotten to spend 52 years with my Grandparents and I am going to miss them very much. Probably till the day God calls ME home.

It has been really tough for me the last two and a half years folks. I lost my Mother, whom I loved very much in January of 2009, then Grandma in February of this year and then Grandpa on the last day of august. So it has been a LONG two and a half years. BUT God continues to give me the strength and comfort I need everyday and I have my Sweety, Roxi, to love me and encourage me everyday. I Love You Baby :-)

I also wanted to share a few photos with you this evening fo some little ghosts I finished the other day. Aren't they cute? I have two orders to finish up tomorrow and then I will be working on my Christmas stuff. Over the next few days I will share some pictures of a few other things I have recently finished a listed on my Etsy shop. If you would like to check out my shop just click on the "paintin' doodads on etsy" link on the right. You will also find several crocheted towel toppers on there that my Sweety has made. I hope you take the time to check it out.

Well folks I guess that is enough for tonight, I am going to sing off, take a shower and hit the sack as my grandpa used to say. Good night to all and I'll talk to you later. Thanks for stopping by :-)

Bill

Grandpa (me) And The Wild Ones

2011-08-22T22:18:00.003-05:00

When the Grandsons come to our house Gabriel likes to go into our bedroom and drag out some of Grandpa's paints and play with them. He has wanted to play with my bottles of paint since before he could walk LOL. Oh well Roxi and I figure they are easy to pick up.

A few days ago our daughter was here with Tristan, Gabe and her half sister Abby. Abby had brought her little baby doll with her, Tristan saw me holding it and then he insisted on being on Grandpa's lap too. At first he didn't know what to think of that other baby on Grandpa's lap LOL. He is just too cute.
Grandma finally got him to look at the camera for her. We always enjoy having those little ones come by for a visit. They're our buddies :-)

More New Items

2011-08-22T22:12:00.002-05:00

I wanted to take a few minutes to share a couple pf photos with you of more new items I just finished. I have been trying to stay very busy painting lots of new projects, and most days, so far, I've not done to bad. I'm sorry for the lack of posts folks but I have been busy not only painting but with several other "daily chores" as well. BUT!! I will have more new items to share with you in the next day or two. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all have a peaceful, restful night.

Bill

Krazy Korn

2011-08-15T19:16:00.002-05:00

As promised I am sharing some pictures of the Krazy Korn I just finished the other day. I painted six different ones and will be working on yet some more in a few days. But right now I am working on several different projects, ghosts and pumpkins mostly. As I get each one finished I will take a few minutes to share the photos with you. Anyway interested in purchasing any of my wood crafts can find them on my Etsy shop. Just click on the link on the right "Paintin Doodads" on Etsy. Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful evening :-)

Bill

Happy Birthday Elizabeth!!

2011-08-13T12:15:00.003-05:00

Happy Birthday Elizabeth!! Our daughter, Elizabeth, turns 25 today. Holy Toledo, where has the time gone. AND she has blessed us with three wonderful grandchildren. So anyway, Happy Birthday Liz :-)

New Funny Pumpkins

2011-08-13T12:08:00.004-05:00

I can't make a very long post today folks, I am just to busy. But then that is a good thing. I had promised to share a few photos with you when I got the punkins' and candy corn finished. Here are a "few" of the pumpkins I finished the other day. I think they are just tooo cute :-) Well I better get back to work folks, I am cutting out more punkins' and ghosts today. I'll try to list some pictures of some of the Krazy Korn a little later. Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day.

Bill

Michael, Gabe, Tristan and Liz

2011-08-01T09:49:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to share a few photos with you.

August 1st Already

2011-08-01T09:38:00.003-05:00

It's hard to believe that today is the first of August already, holy cow! Thursday, the 4th, our son Michael will be 18. Now I am starting to feel old :-) That is Michael in the photo I shared this morning, along with our Grandsons Gabriel and Tristan. Those are my Buddies. I am not sure where time has gone but it certainly has went LOL.

As far as our weather here in NW Missouri it has been hot and humid. To hot and humid for my taste, But one of these days it will cool off and with the way time flies it won't be long either.

I have been staying fairly busy painting fall items the last few days. I should have some photos to share with you in a day or two. Right now I am working on what I call Krazy Korn and Goofy Pumpkins. I should have them ready to list on my Etsy shop www.paintindoodads.etsy.com in the next day or two.

I guess for right now that is the "skinny" on what is going on here at Countryview folks. I hope you all have a wonderful day and remember to Walk with the King today and BE a blessing.

Bill

Another Hot Day

2011-07-28T19:53:00.002-05:00

The heat here in NW Missouri has been really bad the past several days and today was not alot different. The temp seemed to be a little cooler today but the humidity was, and still is, pretty high. We went to my Grandpa's house in Fairfax today and mowed the yard and even though I was on a riding mower I was sweating quite a bit. But sweating a little has not killed me yet :-)

My Grandpa has not been doing very good lately, He found out a couple of weeks ago that he has a heart valve that is very bad and has some fluid on his lungs. He is 88 years old and the Doctor told us he don't have alot of time left but he should make the best of what time he has. He has been staying at my Aunts house in Hiawatha, KS. since he got out of the hospital. I think he likes it there but I know he really misses his home in Fairfax too. I know I miss him being home too. He and Grandma made that house their home since 1966 and before that they lived one block down the street for many years so Fairfax has been their home for a long, long time. My grandparents were married for 72 years when Grandma passed away on February 19th of this year and Fairfax was their home for at least 70 of those years.

I've not heard anything from Liz, my Daughter, today and I am still praying very hard for her our two little buddies. I guess if anything was wrong I would have heard from someone by now. But I still worry.

Well I think it's time for me to sign off and get the first coat of primer on the candy corn and punkins' I cut out the other day. I will show them off on here as I get them finished. I hope you all have a restful, peaceful night and may God Bless each and every one of you.

Bill

Praying

2011-07-27T17:53:00.003-05:00

It is 5:54 PM as I start writing this post. At 4:15 this afternoon our daughter Liz loaded Her and the Kids' things into their car and headed back home with her boyfriend. I figured she would but it sure doesn't make it easier for me. I watched them drive away, waving at her and those two little boys and it was almost more than I could take. What I really wanted to do was run out there, stop them and tell her to get herself and the kids back in the house, that there was NO WAY they were leaving here. BUT I didn't, that is not my decision to make. So When they got out of sight I went to my bedroom and started bawling and praying. Praying that God would place Angels of protection and safety around her and our Grandsons. I just don't know what else to do. I did tell her that Our house will always be open to her and the boys, anytime. She knows that as long as God allows me to live they will always be welcome here, and safe. So for today folks my post will be short, I just don't know what else to write about and to tell you the truth I just want to sit down in the corner and cry. So I hope you all have a good night and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Bill

Here We Go Again!!

2011-07-26T20:46:00.002-05:00

I know there will not be many folks want to read this post but I really need to "vent" right now. This post is just a classic example, I think, as to why I have gotten so far away blogging daily. It is often "the same stuff different day" for Me.

Closing this mornings post I told everyone to have a great day and to "walk with the King today and be a blessing. Pretty much the way I close out every time. Well it is really hard for me personally to live by those words when I really want to seriously injure my Daughters boyfriend.

Our day here was going pretty good until about 6:30 or so and once again my Daughter called and she and her boyfriend were once again fighting!! This time I handled it differently though. Instead of spending 2 hours on the phone listening to them scream and yell and then me screaming and yelling, I told her to get her and the kid's things together and we were coming over to get them. They live in Rock Port which is only about 8 miles from us here in Tarkio. So Roxi called the sheriffs office to meet us there, mainly so I would not end up going to jail myself for splitting his head open with my ball bat, and off we headed for Rock Port. Long story short my daughter and grandchildren are now safe at our home and surely Kaley is not stupid enough to show up here. But I guess if he is he will be headed for jail because I am beyond tired of fooling with this insanity!!

This very thing has been going on now for 5 years and it has completely worn me down. I honestly feel like I am half the man I used to be. I feel like the stress and worry about my daughter and grandsons is slowly killing me. But I can't seem to get either one of them to understand this. Maybe they understand it but just don't care I don't know, but I do know that for tonight anyway I don't have to worry about their safety. But then it will probably only be this one night because I'm sure tomorrow he will get her talked into coming back home. And i guess there is not much I can do about that, although I wish there was. I guess I could pray that he disappeared but then that is not very Christian is it? LOL So I guess for tonight I will relax and deal with tomorrow when it gets here.

So folks this is why I don't always write on my blog, it just seems to be the same thing different day. BUT I am going to write about my life daily anyway so bare with me folks sometimes it may sound a bit repetitive, sorry :-) Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to read my blog and always feel free to leave me comments, I enjoy reading them. So with that I say goodnight and may you all have a restful, peaceful night. Talk to you tomrrow.

Bill

Time To Get Back To Blogging

2011-07-26T08:44:00.002-05:00

I have neglected my blog for so long and I think today is a great time to change that! I imagine that most of the folks that read my blog have given up on it long ago and I do apologize. I guess there are many reasons for my disinterest and neglect but truly none of them are good excuses. So, today, I will begin paying more attention to my blog, so here we go :-)

One thing I am doing today to make more time for my blog is staying away from Facebook. For those of you that like Facebook that is alright but for me personally it just don't work. I have found myself, for quite some time now, getting on Facebook and playing the games. Farmville, Countrylife, etc., etc. have come to suck hours out of my daily life and I am tired of it. I need to be more focused on my wood craft painting and I can't paint while I am "working on my farm" LOL.

Another thing I don't like about Facebook is that EVERYONE'S drama and "game accomplishments" are posted on MY Facebook. Here on my blog that is not the case. MY life is what gets posted on here and not everyone else's drama, I have enough drama in my own life, I certainly don't need more from "friends" I barely know or have not seen in 35 years. I don't need to "reconnect" with old friends and I certainly don't need to spend hours playing games, I have much better things to do and right now is the time to get busy doing them :-)

I started this blog as a way to let some of my family know what was going on in my daily life without running up huge phones bill's in the process. But I also started it to permanently document my daily life, thoughts and ideas. Someplace that years down the line, those that care and want to, can go to read and remember. Well if I am not writing on here then there will not be much to "read and remember" will there?

There has been alot happened in my life that I have not written about because of my serious neglect. So much that I couldn't even begin to write it all today. But maybe, as I go along, I can catch up on some of the major happenings. The main thing is that, starting right now, I have promised myself to stop neglecting my blog and we will go from there.

I will probably not get rid of my Facebook but If I am going to my my priorities back in line. Starting with my painting and my blogging. Even if there is no one out there that reads this blog, although I know there are some, I will still be able to look back from time to time and say "oh ya I forgot about that day" . So back to blogging it is folk's. I may "preach" sometimes, I may rant and rave or just talk about the weather, but it's MY life you will find posted on here not everyone else's. And that's the way I want it :-)

I hope that those of you that do stop by and read my blog will leave me a comment from time to time, say hello, and share YOUR feelings with me.

I sincerely hope that you all have a wonderful day and as I always say "Walk with the King today and BE a blessing :-)

Bill

Missouri Tigers Sign

2011-06-27T21:58:00.002-05:00

As promised I am sharing a photo of the Missouri Tiger signs I have been working on the past several days. I took this picture before I mounted it on the 24" stake used for placing the sign in the ground. I delivered 4 of them today and I am now working on 3 more. I'm also working on a Nebraska Cornhusker sign as well as a Miami Dolphins sign. So as you can tell I am staying fairly busy here at Countryview Wood Crafts. But that's a good thing :-)

Last night about 9:45 or so we had a pretty bad thunderstorm move through here. The wind blew pretty bad for awhile and then it just rained buckets. My Sweety and I had to go down to Fairfax to the lumber yard and the Big Tarkio River was running right at the bottom of the bridge. We figured it would get out and the highway department would close Highway 59. But we took a drive down that way this evening and the water had gone down some, so that's a good thing. I was afraid that the highway would flood and then I would have to go the long way around to go check on my Grandpa who lives in Fairfax.

Things are not going so well just about 12 miles West of us on the Missouri river though. There is so much flooding going on over there, it is just terrible. If you would like to see some really good videos of the extent of the flooding in our area on the Missouri River go to www.youtube.com and type in kmanews1 and you will find several aerial videos. You can also keep up on the flooding and road closures around here on www.kmaland.com, check it out.

Interstate 29 has been closed from Rock Port, MO to Nebraska City, NE for a couple of weeks now and the traffic has been routed through Tarkio here on 59 and 136. The traffic here in town has been terrible and they are not very friendly folks. Not to mention they are in a really big hurry, they need some courses on courteous driving. I know it is a huge inconvenience for them to have to detour on these old two lane highways but it is a VERY big inconvenience for us folks here in town also. What used to be a 3 minute drive to the store has now turned into 10 or 15, just trying to get on the highway, because they sure won't slow down and let you in that's for sure. I guess their time is alot more important than us Ol' country folks is. Well anyway, thanks to the Army Corps of Engineers it is going to be this way all summer, or so they say anyway. WHOPPY DOO .

Well I guess I better sign of for tonight folks, I hope you all have a restful, peaceful night and I'll talk to you the next time.

Bill

2011-06-24T00:09:00.002-05:00

Well once again it has been quite awhile since I have posted on my Blog. I guess,like most folks in today's world, I have just been very busy with so many other things. But , tonight I couldn't sleep so here I am making a quick post, finally.

The photo I am sharing with you is one taken about a week ago of Michael, our Son, Gabriel our four year old Grandson and little Tristan William our eight month old Grandson. They are my little buddies.

Here in the little Town of Tarkio, MO things have really been buzzing, at least on highway 59 anyway. With all the flooding going on just a few miles to our west on the Missouri river bottom I29 was closed last week and all that traffic has been diverted through here, going North and South. This little town has not seen this kind of traffic for many years. It is pretty tough getting from point A to point B if you have to get on the highway or cross it. The worse part about it is that the Corps of Engineers says it will be this way all summer, YUCK! But even with the problems the extra traffic causes we are still better off than the folks in the small towns along the River, they are loosing their homes and everything. It is causing quite a stir that's for sure.

One of the many things I have been busy with lately has been my painting of course. Recently I have gotten several orders for various different wood crafts and I have been staying very busy with that. I am currently working on several Missouri Tiger signs. I will get a photo tomorrow and I will share it with all you folks out there in Bloggerland.

As soon as I get these orders filled I will be getting started on my selection of Fall and Halloween items. I know, I know it is only June but time flies by pretty quick and I want to have a BIG selection ready for a sale by the end of August, So now is the time to get busy.

Well for now Folks I guess that's enough. I am going to try and keep up with my Blog a little better this time. I guess we will see how that works for me LOL. Anyway, have a great day and I'll see you next time.

Bill

A Bunny and His Carrot House

2011-04-16T19:29:00.002-05:00

Well Folks here it is, the newest addition to the many selections from Paintin' Doodads. This is the little Bunny and his carrot house turned out really cute, I think anyway. The Carrot House is 18" tall by 8 1/2" wide and the little bunny is 10" tall by 5 1/2" wide. I am going to price this Lawn ornament at $15.00 plus shipping of course. If anyone is interested in purchasing this 2 piece set just click on the link to my Etsy shop over on the right hand side of this blog and purchase it there or just leave me a comment on here and let me know how to get back to you. I think it really turned out nice. As I mentioned yesterday I got the carrot house from a picture in a coloring book, I find alot of ideas in coloring books :-) The little bunny is from some patterns I got from www.hillerproductions.com a couple of years ago. I just kind of combined the two to make a two piece set of my own. Please feel free to leave comments about what you think aboutit, even if you don't want a set for yourself :-) So there you go folks, you can see what I have been up to here at Countryview. I'll have some more new projects to share with you in a couple of days. I hope you all have a wonderful, peaceful night and I'll talk to you the next time. Until then, "keep your stick on the ice" :-) Bill

Slow But Sure

2011-04-15T20:26:00.002-05:00

Today I made pretty good progress on a couple of the new projects I am working on. I didn't manage to get as much accomplished as I had hoped but more than I have been for sure. So slowly but surely I am getting back to where I want, and need, to be with my painting. The project I am working on today (and tomorrow) is a little carrot "house" and a little bunny to go along with I took the idea from a coloring book I found at Dollar General Store. Of course I enlarged it quite a bit. I think it is turning out really cute. I am trying to finish it by tomorrow evening and then share a photo with you folks, but, depending on how fast the paint dries, It may be Sunday before I get it done. I guess that is about it for now from here at Countryview folks. Just painting and enjoying the spring weather, even if it is cool and rainy right now. Be sure to check out my Etsy shop Paintin' Doodads, just click on the link over on the right. Thanks for stopping by and have a great night. Bill

Rock Me Baby-BB King/Eric Clapton/Buddy Guy/Jim Vaughn

2011-04-13T19:43:00.000-05:00

Four of the Greatest guitar players on the planet

Stevie Ray Vaughan - Pride And Joy (Montreux '82)

2011-04-13T19:37:00.000-05:00

Back To Painting Again

2011-04-13T17:20:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I cut out several new projects to get back to painting again. It felt so good to be able to run the bandsaw again. I really didn't want to stop but I figured I better paint the projects I cut out first then I can cut some more out.

I am so very glad that I have felt like working on my wood crafts again :-) This morning I had a brief "spell" but I finally began to get with the program. Those of you who have never dealt with Bi-Polar Depression Have no idea what it's like but trust me it is not much fun. Medication helps me with the depression but yet it just makes me sit around staring off into space. So I just deal with the "spells" and use the good days to the best of my ability.

I'll have some photos to share with you in a few days of the new items I am working on now. So be sure to check back, if you're interested. And don't forget you can see some of my other work on my Etsy shop www.paintindoodads.etsy.com so be sure to stop by thee also if you would like to see more.

Besides my getting back to painting and the beautiful spring weather we are having there is not much else to tell. So for now I will sign off, get my supper out of the way and then get back to painting. Have a wonderful night and I'll see you the next time :-)

Bill

Not Much To Tell

2011-04-10T19:43:00.003-05:00

There is just not to much to tell you folks today. Just not much going on. SO tonight I decided to share a few music videos with you of one of my favorite bands, The Refreshments. They are a great band out of Sweden, give em a listen and see what you think.

The Refreshments with Johan Blohm- Seven Nights to Rock

2011-04-10T19:20:00.000-05:00

If you can't dance to this music, you got no business on the floor :-)

Johan Blohm / The Refreshments plays Down The Road Apiece

2011-04-10T19:15:00.000-05:00

Mama"s cookin' chicken fried in bacon grease, come on with me boys down the road a piece :-) I REALLY like this band, The Refreshments, from Sweden. They do the old tunes justice. Thanks Guys !!

One dance,one rose, one kiss - The Refreshments

2011-04-10T19:12:00.000-05:00

While one half of me said don't bother the other cried don't miss a chance like this! I Love You Baby :-)

Boogie Woogie Piano

2011-04-10T19:08:00.000-05:00

Alittle Boogie Woogie piano from Johan Blohm of the Refreshments

The Refreshments - Let It Rock

2011-04-10T19:05:00.000-05:00

I really like this band from Sweden. Give them a listen

Spring Weather

2011-04-05T14:23:00.003-05:00

Our Spring weather here in NW Missouri has been kind of crazy this year. Back in March we would have a day or two of 70 degree temps and then the next day, snow. April has been just as silly. Sunday we set a record high temp for that date of 91 degrees. I actually shut the windows and turned the AC on. Then later that afternoon the wind switched around from the north and by 6:00 in the evening it was 55 degrees. It finally got down to 35 Sunday night. Now isn't that crazy? Yesterday, Monday, we struggled to get to 50 and today we are back into the 60's. We always say here in NW Missouri "if you don't like the weather, just stick around it will change" LOL. I thought I would share this picture today of my Grandma and Grandpa, my nephew Rick and his kids and of course Me, the big guy on the right :-) This picture was taken a couple of years ago and I forgot I even had it until I was going through some old photo CD's the other day. So I just thought I would share it with you today. Other than the weather changing day to day, doing the usual daily "chores" that we all have and some wood craft painting there is not much else to tell from here at Countryview. So I will sign off for now and I'll see you all the next time. Have a wonderful day everyone. Bill

On The Mend

2011-03-28T20:17:00.002-05:00

Well folks I'm sorry but I've not been on the computer much for a few days. Wednesday and Thursday Roxi had the flu and then I ended up having it Friday and Saturday. My Belly is still a little Wonky yet today but I don't think it had anything to do with the flu. But whether it does or not I think I am on the mend this evening, I hope so anyway.

So I guess there is just not much to blog about today since I've not really been up to much except laying around getting over the flu. Yesterday I did get a few templates made of some new little lawn ornaments I am going to be making in the very near future. I will be sure to get some pictures on here as soon as I get them finished.

I hope you all have a restful, peaceful night and I'll see you next time :-)

Bill

Some Old Photos

2011-03-24T17:48:00.003-05:00

Today I just felt like sharing some old pictures of the "Home Place" as I call it with my wood crafts on display. The little shed there in the top photo was my workshop. I sure do miss it. Where we live now I am not able to have a shop. But fortunately there is a small storage shed on the back covered patio for my bandsaw. So when I am ready to cut a few things out I just move the bandsaw out onto the patio and away I go. So it's not to bad.

This picture here was taken out in front of our old trailer. It wasn't the greatest but it made us a good home for 5 years, and it was paid for to boot, LOL. It must have been late summer because I had my fall halloween things out for sale.

This last photo for today just shows me with more of my wood crafts on display out in the yard. I can't put my wood crafts in the yard here, they have a rule that you can't have anything in the yard. SOOO I will just have to take my wood crafts out and about to sell them. Well I guess that's it for now folks. Have a great night :-)

Bill

A Couple Of New Lawn Ornaments

2011-03-23T16:21:00.002-05:00

I thought I would take a few minutes to show some photos of a couple of new lawn ornaments I finished not long ago. The orange one is already sold, it went to Wisconsin I believe. Now I am working on a couple of carrot houses with little bunnies. They are going to turn out way to cute and I hope they are really popular. When I get one finished I will share a photo with you, and maybe you can tell me what you think :-)

Well I have chicken cooking for chicken and noodles so I better sign off for now and get to peeling potatoes for mashed potatoes. Have a great night.

Bill

Its Been A Long Time

2011-03-23T08:49:00.004-05:00

Well I am sorry folks, it has been a long time since I have posted on my blog. A little over 2 months. Many times I thought about gettting on here and making a post but, I don't know, I just didn't really know what to say, or I didn't know how to say what I wanted to. Anyway, this morning I thought I would give this blog another go and see if I can keep a little more current this time. Lets see what happens.

I really don't know where to start so I guess I will start with the most recent, big, event in my life. My Grandma, Rosy McCall, passed away at the Nursing Home here on Tarkio on the 19th of February, she was 87. Grandma was the biggest, main influence in my life. She was my rock, the ONE person in my life I could always go to whether things were good or bad. I was her first grandchild and everyone knew that I was her favorite. She loved all her grandchildren but I was the one that she said was alot like her. That was probably because she is the one that taught me just about everything I know and maybe also because I was her first. Grandma taught me so much, how to cook, clean, sew, take care of myself but the most important thing she taught me about was Jesus' love for me. Had it not been for Grandma I may never have known about Jesus because when I was young the other influences in my life were certainly not good influence at all. So that is the MAIN thing I am thankfull for, my Grandma being a good Christian woman and gently, lovingly and kindly leading me to the Cross and helping me accept Jesus as my Savior. She always taught me right from wrong and although I did not always do the right thing as I grew older each year, I knew when I did something wrong that is was definately wrong. Grandma knew that I tried so hard to please not only her but everyone in my life and she always told me to quit trying so hard to please everyone and trying make them like me. She would say don't you worry about what anyone else likes, God loves you and that's all you need. She was right.

Yes, Grandma and I had our little "tiffs" from time to time but she knew that I never quit loving her and I knew she always loved me. Usually our differences were becasue she was trying to lead me down the "good" path and I was stubborn and bullheaded and insisted on doing things my way, which was not always the way to do it. When I would make a poor decision (which I did often) She would write me a little poem or letter encouraging me to "turn around" and go the right way. And, eventually, I would, some times it just took me longer than others.

Grandma had been sick for a long time, just getting weaker and weaker with each passing week. She had developed emphysema never having even tried a cigarette in her life. Like me, she had also struggled with depression from time to time in her life also. In January of 2009 when my Mom (Her daughter) passed away so suddenly the depression really set in and I think she just kind of gave up. That is when Grandma really went downhill. Grandpa did everything he could to take care of her,and he did a good job until she just didn't have the stength to get up and get around. That's when Grandma went to the rest home, this past October.

In the last three days before she passed away, when I was there seeing her, she rally wasn't awake very long at a time. I would sit there and read or just watch her and talk to her when she was awake. When I would get ready to go home she would try to motion me over to her bed. She wanted to hold my hand and would try to tell me "I love you, Bill" but she didn't even have the strength to talk hardly. So I would lean over and kiss her forhead and say "I know you love me Grandma, I love you too" . The last day, I think she knew the end was near because when I was leaving to go home, while I stood by her bed, instead of reaching for my hand she was trying to reach up to touch my face. I took her hand and gently placed it on my cheek, she tried to say I love you but couldn't. I winked at her and said "I Know, I love you too" and smiled. She gave me a bit of a smile back. About 11:30 that night my aunt Bonnie called me and said the nursing home called and said Grandma didn't have long left. I didn't make it up there before she went home to be with Jesus, but that was OK, we had already said our goodbyes to each other. Grandma knew that someday, when it's my time, she would see me again in Heaven with her and Mom. The next time I see Grandma it will be living in God's Kingdom, the place she always taught me about. I love you Grandma and miss you so very much but I am glad you are enjoying the "sweet peace" that Jesus taught us about. I'll see you when I get there :-)

In Memory Of Frances McCall Miller

2011-01-12T20:14:00.002-06:00

January 12th, 2009 My Mother, Frances (or Granny to all the kids) passed from this life to Her Heavenly Home. I think of Her daily, pretty much everytime I pick up a paint brush which is alot. I miss her very much and I know someday I will join Her in Heaven. I Love you Mom and I'll see you later.

In Memory of my Mom I started a NEW Etsy shop yesterday evening. It is called Paintin' Doodads. I named it that because my Mom would call me almost daily and she would always ask "what are you doing?" to which I would usually reply "Paintin' Doodads" cause that is what I WAS usually doing. I will always be paintin' doodads, as long as God allows me to use a paint brush. So, if anyone is interested, the era of Countryview Wood Crafts has now turned into the Paintin' Doodads era. I pray God richly blesses it :-)

Here is the new link www.paintindoodads.etsy.com

Have a good night everyone and remember, Walk with the King and BE a blessing!!

Bill

SNOW!!! YIPES!!

2011-01-10T17:31:00.003-06:00

Last night sometime we had some snow move into our area and so far we have gotten somewhere around 6"-8" and according to the weatherman it is not through snowing yet. But! It is still not nearly as bad as last winter. Last winter was something else. I have lived here a long time (since 1974) and I have nver seen anything like last winter. So this snow we are getting now is not bad, we can handle it. We don't like to handle it but we can. But those poor folks down in the south, now they are having a time of it with this winter weather. Here in NW Missouri we have the equipment to deal with snow, but down south they just don't have the equipment they need to deal with that much snow. And then the areas that got ice, well there is just no good way to deal with ice, period!

Even though I don't have to scoop snow here at our apartment (someone else does that) I guess old habits are hard to break cause I've been outside twice today scooping snow. But that's ok, as my Grandma and Mom would tell me I needed to "get outside and blow the stink off of me" anyway, LOL. And goodness knows the exercise can't hurt me any :-) So I scooped the snow off the walks over at the office and the four apartments at our building and then three others also. I know it sounds kind of crazy but I enjoyed it.

So now I am sitting here enjoying a cup of coffee, posting on my blog and getting ready to sit down and paint doodads, LOL, I mean wood crafts. My Grandma don't like it when I call them "doodads" she says it don't sound very "professional" :-) That's ok though cause she is not here and she don't read my blog so I'm in the clear, unless you tell her, LOL. I am working on several different projects right now, since I finished the signs I was working on. I am painting on three different pigs, a gnome with a double mushroom house, a scooby and shaggy wall hanging, and two gnome and mushroom house lawn ornaments. so you can see I have plenty to keep me busy these cold, snowy days.

My Sweety, Roxi, started back to work at the Casey's General Store that she worked at before going to work at the nursing home. She just really missed working at Casey's so I encouraged her to go back. You know, Liking what you do for a living helps with a persons attitude toward having to work. She is really happy there and I am very happy she decided to go back to work there. As far as I go, You all know that I enjoy my job painting wood crafts :-)

Well I guess I better sign off for now, get another cup of coffee and get busy painting. I hope you all have a wonderful night and if you are having bad winter weather, be safe! Until next time, Walk with the King today and BE a Blessing!!
Bill

Not Much Going On

2011-01-07T17:41:00.002-06:00

There is not much going on here at Countryview so I thought I would just post a few videos of some great music. Have a great night :-)
Bill

More New Signs

2011-01-06T14:32:00.002-06:00

Well as promised here are the photos of the new signs I just finished last night. I easpecially like the first one "stop, drop and roll don't work in Hell". this is very true, LOL. I heard Nadine say that one night on Larrys Country Diner. If anyone is interested in these signs, or any of Roxi and I's crafts just go to www.roxiscreations.etsy.com or just click on "roxis etsy shop" over on the right of this blog. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a wonderful day :-)

Bill

"Should You Go First" By George Younce

2011-01-05T15:52:00.000-06:00

Jud Strunk - Daisy A Day

2011-01-05T15:46:00.000-06:00

A Day I Won't Forget

2011-01-05T09:44:00.003-06:00

January 5th is a day that will always be in memory as a sad day. Two years ago today my Mother had a heart attack at her home in Joplin which she never recovered. Roxi and I, along with hy Grandparents and Aunt and Uncle went to the hospital in Joplin to see her one last time before they turned the ventilator off. She had no brain activity and couldn't breath on her own and she left this earth on the 12th, but I will always consider January 5th as the day I lost my Mom. I talked to her on the phone the night before, the 4th, and she was doing fine. We talked about what was going on down in Joplin, her horses and of course she wanted to know what I was painting on. I didn't know it would be the last time I would talk to her this side of Heaven.

It was about 11:00 pm on the 5th when I got the call that she was being rushed to the Hospital. Earlier in the evening, while sitting there painting the thought kept coming to my mind "call Mom and visit awhile" but I just thought "I will call her tomorrow" but I never got that chance. I have wished everyday for the last 2 years that I would have made that call and visited with her one more time. I know we would have talked about the same things we always did but then those are the things we liked talking about. But I know someday I will talk to her again in our Heavenly home and that is a wonderful thought :-)

Now for the current "news", We got my Grandma (my Moms Mother) moved to her new room yesterday morning and she really likes it. I'm going up to the Nursing Home in a bit to visit and deliver some brownies and banana bread my Sweety made. Of course while I'm there I will visit my Dad, he's in the same home, and deliver him some brownies as well. Then it will be back home to paint wood crafts :-)

There is a little story behind the brownies. Roxi has been wanting on of those "perfect brownie pans" they show on TV. My Aunt Bonnie (Moms sister) was over from Hiawatha yesterday to visit with grandma and grandpa, and to make sure Grandmas move went ok. Before she left town for the day she went down to the Pamida Store here in town and bought Roxi on e of those Brownie Pans. She brought it by the house to Roxi and I wasn't long it getting down to the store to get some brownie mix, which was on sale by the way. And my sweety wasn't long baking a pan of brownies, LOL. I ate six last night :-) by the way, if anyone reading this has thought about buying one of those "perfect brownie pans" I recomend buying it, they really do make the perfect brownie, you won't regret it one bit. Unless of course you don't like brownies, but then who don't like brownies?

Well guess I better sign off for now folks and as my Mom would tell me "get my butt in gear". I hope everyone has a great day and lets remember to Walk with the King today and BE a blessing.
Bill

Sunny Morning

2011-01-04T08:28:00.002-06:00

This morning is a beautiful sunny January morning here in NW Missouri. The temp is only 10 degrees right now but the weatherman promises it will get into the mid to upper 30's today, with sunshine all day. So all in all not a bad January day for this part of the country.

I thought we were going to move my Grandma to a different room at the nursing home yesterday but there was some kind of snaffu and I guess we are doing it today around 11:00 this morning. So I will be going to the Nursing Home to help a little with that for awhile. Of course I will do some visiting while I'm there also but then I'll be home this afternoon painting wood crafts.

I have several projects already cut out just sitting there waiting for my attention so I better get busy this afternoon. I consolidated my Etsy shop with my Sweeties shop to kind of simplify things. It will be alot easier to keep track of things and we will just have the one bill to pay each month. So anyone wondering why my shop is not active right now, don't worry you can still find my handpainted wood crafts at www.roxiscreations.etsy.com or just go over to the right of this blog and click on Roxis Etsy, that will get you there too.

I suppose for now folks I better sign off and get this day started. I hope you all have a wonderful day and remember to, Walk with the King today and BE a blessing :-)
Bill

Beautiful Isle Of Somewhere.wmv

2011-01-03T22:37:00.001-06:00

Cute Signs

2011-01-03T21:42:00.003-06:00

I thought I would take the time this evening to share these photos of some really cute and funny signs I just finished the other day. I am working on some others and I will share the photos with you as soon as I get them finished. If anyone is interested in one, or more, all you have to do is go to http://www.roxiscreations.etsy.com/ to purchase them and I'll get them sent right out to you Have a great night everyone!!

Bill

Plenty To Do Today

2011-01-03T09:17:00.002-06:00

Well today I have plenty to do to keep myself busy. I have plenty of projects cut out to stay busy painting, which I find very exciting. Sometime today we are going to move my Grandmother into a different room at the Nursing Home, which might not be so exciting. I guess we will see when that time comes. Helping with Grandmas move will keep me busy for a couple of hours I'm sure but then I will be home, where it's nice and warm, painting wood crafts :-)

Outside right now it is 15 degrees and the weatherman says we should get up to 33 or so today, with mostly sunny skies. So all in all not to bad a day weather wise. Certainly alot beter than last winter, LOL.

I guess for now folks I will sign off and get things started for the day. I hope you all have a wonderful day and let's all Walk with the King today and BE a blessing!
Bill

Dennis Swanberg - Bengy and the Zipper

2011-01-02T20:47:00.000-06:00

"The New Dentist" By Mark Lowry Comedy

2011-01-02T20:19:00.000-06:00

"This Old House" By The Cathedrals

2011-01-02T20:12:00.000-06:00

Bill Gaither Trio - Something Good ('91)

2011-01-02T20:06:00.000-06:00

New Year Here We Come

2011-01-02T19:45:00.002-06:00

It is so hard for me to believe that we are already 2 days into a new year, 2011, where does the time go? When I was a kid, and even as a young adult, I never gave any thought to the year 200 and now here we are 11 years into it, my goodness. For me the last 2 years seem to be a blur. Almost like time has passed me by and now I'm not real sure how I got here. BUT!!! Here we are and I have a feeling that time is not going to slow down any, LOL.

Many people make New Years resolutions, normally I don't.But this year I have resolved to spend ALOT more time painting wood crafts. I used to get as much painting done in 1 month as I have the last 2 years and I am going to change that. I have so many things I want to make and I am so tired of each day passing by, telling myself that "tomorrow" I will start. And tomorrow comes but I don't get any painting done. As my Mother would tell me " it is high time you got your butt in gear" LOL. So that is precisely what I have resolved to do "get my butt in gear" and get back to painting.

I have also resolved to be better about posting on this blog. There is another case where I used to post as much in 1 month as I have the last year. So I am going to try to put something on here everyday, no matter how short the post.

And finally I have resolved to quit worrying about things that are out of my control, and lets face it folks we have control over very little. All the worry and stress is just making me old before my time and it don't helpmy depression much either, LOL.

So New Year, here I come and I am ready :-)

To all you folks out there in bloggerland have a great night.
Bill

New Work Area

2010-12-04T09:37:00.002-06:00

I can't believe it is already December 4th, my goodness time is really flying by. It is cold and windy outside today so I plan on just staying inside painting my wood crafts. This photo was taken awhile back, while it was still warm, of me standing in my new work area. You can see my bandsaw right behind me. the area is actually the back porch but it is covered very well and protected from the wind and rain. You can't see it in the photo but there is a small storage shed to the right of the photo that I keep my bandsaw in when I am not using it. When I am ready to cut a few things out I just move the saw out onto the porch and away we go. It's not the "perfect" setup but I can still work on my wood crafts and that is all that really matters to me right now. MAYBE someday I will once again have a place with an actual shop, but for now this will work :-)

Well folks for now, My breakfast is ready and I am ready for it, LOL. I hope you have a wonderful day and remember to Walk with the King today and BE a blessing.
Bill

Snowman Nativity

2010-11-27T10:26:00.002-06:00

I wanted to take the time to share some photos of the latest project I just finished, a snowman nativity set. There are 9 pieces to this set and the tallest piece (the angel) is 7" tall. Isn't this the cutest thing you've ever seen? I have made and sold several sets of this cute Nativity set over the years. They are so much fun to paint :-) If anyone is interested in a set you can comment me here on my blog, email me at billwoodcrafts@hotmail.com or just click on the link to my Etsy shop www.countryviewwoodcraft.etsy.com and purchase the set from there. Have a wonderful day folks and remember to Walk with the King today and BE a blessing :-)

Back To The Beginning

2010-11-24T17:00:00.002-06:00

I started painting wood crafts in 1996 as therapy during my "psycho-therapy" sessions and at the time never dreamed it would become anything more than that, therapy. It was a way to keep my hands and mind occupied and I fell in love with it.

Over the last 3 years my painting has become more about income than just the joy and therapy I had grown to love. It has become a cumbersome task JUST making things I KNOW will sell instead of just painting what I WANT and "hoping" it will sell. Or even not really caring of it sells or not, just enjoying the time spent painting and creating.

SO!! starting yesterday, I am going back to the beginning and starting over again. There are not alot of things in life that will allow you a "do over" but this is one thing that I have that control over. I spent most of yesterday afternoon cutting out some new projects to be working on over the next few days. Projects I have not made for several years because I was to busy working on what I "knew" would sell. I guess what I am trying to say is that I've not had the JOY of painting for quite some time now and it is time for me to get that JOY back. For quite awhile now I have had to force myself to paint something that was ordered and just focusing on my painting as income. I guess I lost track of WHY I started painting in the first place. I was to the point of just quiting and I found that feeling very depressing. Which is kind of ironic because "depression" and a nervous breakdown if why I started painting in the first place, LOL!! So long story short folks I am now working on things I WANT to paint, whether it sells or not.

I'll be posting photos of the projects as I complete them so be sure to keep an eye out for them. I will also be listing them on my Etsy shop www.countryviewwoodcraft.etsy.com so if you see something you would like to have just log onto my shop. I guess for now that is it but please remember folks, Walk with the King today and BE a blessing!!
Bill

October 23rd, 1972

2010-10-23T12:10:00.004-05:00

October 23rd, 1972 is a very important date to me personally. 38 years ago today I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Saviour!! It was the greatest decision I have ever made. Jesus Saved me and I now have the promise of eternal life in His Kingdom. Just so you know, Life has not been perfect, LOL, Not even close, BUT I have always know that no matter what the trial or temptation that God is right there with me and HE is in complete control of my Life. There has been many, many, many, many times I have failed God and fallen down flat on my face, HARD, but God was there to pick me up, brush the dirt and blood off and forgave me for my sins. NEVER in those 38 years have I doughted that God was with me, NEVER!! My life has not been easy and alot of times I did not think I would be able to go on, but at those times God didn't just speak to me HE picked me up and carried me through, EVERYTIME!! Gods Grace has always been enough to keep me going. Just knowing that I am a child of the King still to this day keeps me going. AND because of my Faith in HIM, God has promised me a home in Heaven with HIM and His Son Jesus. Below I posted a song that touches my heart deeply and I listen to alot, I Can Only Imagine what it will be like, but I know someday, because of the decision I made on October 23rd, 1972, I will SEE for myself!!

Thank You Father for your:
Amazing Grace,
How sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me,
I once was lost, but now I'm found,
Was blind, but now I see

I Can Only Imagine (with lyrics) - MercyMe

2010-10-23T11:49:00.000-05:00

Little Scarecrow

2010-09-05T13:14:00.002-05:00

I thought I would take a few minutes to share a photo of the newest project I just finished. Isn't this one of the cutest little scarecrows you've ever seen? He is 10 1/2" tall (base included) and I just listed it on my Etsy shop www.countryviewwoodcraft.etsy.com !

Other than painting there is just not much going on here at Countryview, but then that's the way we like it :-) I hope you all have a wonderful day and I'll see you next time.
Bill

Funny Pumpkin Trio

2010-09-03T19:06:00.003-05:00

This is a photo of the pumpkins I shared on my last post, PLUS, the third and final one of the "Trio". Pretty cute, huh?

This little punkin is the latest project I have been working on. I have this little guy and the Trio listed on my Etsy shop http://www.countryviewwoodcraft.etsy.com/ so stop by and check them out, if you would like.

We had quite a thunderstorm roll through here Wednesday evening about 5:30 or so. We had 5 1/2" of rain and very strong winds. there were at least three houses here in Tarkio heavily damaged and ALOT of trees blown completely over. Today however was just beautiful, with a high temp in the low 70's and a brisk north wind it felt almost like fall.

Well it is Friday and that means I better get off here and go watch Criminal Minds for the evening. Have a great one folks and I'll see you next time!

Bill

New Fall Items

2010-08-26T19:07:00.003-05:00

As you can tell I have been busy working on some of my NEW fall projects! I am so excited about working on several new fall patterns I just got the other day. I have these two listed on my Etsy shop www.countryviewwoodcraft.etsy.com already. Stop by and check out all the new and old items I have for sale on my shop, you are bound to like something :-)

Well i better get back to painting folks, I just wanted to share these photos with you real quick. Have a wonderful night and see you next time.

Bill

Finally Getting Back To Painting

2010-08-22T17:31:00.002-05:00

I am finally able to get back to my painting and I am so very glad!! We finally have everything unpacked and put away. I have my work areas set up and I started cutting things out with the bandsaw yesterday. This morning I started putting primer on the projects I cut out yesterday and now I have several projects to paint, wooohooo! I will be sure to share photos of each item as I get them finished so be sure to check back regularly.

My new part-time job at the nursing home is going fairly well. When I started the supervisor just kind of showed me where the mop bucket was and turned me loose, but I am figuring things out as I go, LOL. It's really not to hard to figure out where to mop and run the buffer, LOL. My Sweeties job is going very well also, she really loves her new job in laundry and housekeeping. So I guess everything is going pretty well here.

I have cjicken baking in the oven and macaroni and cheese that need my attention so I better sign off for now folks, Have a wonderful evening and I'll see you next time :-)
Bill

It's Been A Long Time

2010-08-18T17:51:00.002-05:00

It has been quite awhile since I've been on here, almost a month. I have been so busy for so long now, it has been really hard to find the time to make a post on here. But I just decided to take a few minutes this evening and make a post anyway.

We finally got everything moved to our new Home in Tarkio and have set up home and shop. It was quite a job getting everything moved. I did alot of it myself since my Sweety was working at her new job most of the time. The biggest problem I ran into was the heat, WOW was it ever hot hot here!! It was already hot in the nornings and if course it just got hotter as the day went on, it was terrible. We had heat indexes in the 110 to 115 degree range. And there we were moving in that heat, it was not a bit fun. But we managed to get everything moved and we are really enjoying our new home. I'm glad we made the change!!

Moving is not the only change we have made. My Sweety, Roxi, quit her job at Casey's and went to work in the laundry/housekeeping department at the Tarkio Nursing Home. She really loves it!! No stress and alot slower paced. And NOOOO fooling with the public! I also went to work at the Nursing home as the floor care Man, part time that is. Roxi's job is working out great, mine however is not going as well. I just can't seem to get all the work I'm expected to get done in just 4 hours. But I'll keep trying and we will see how it goes.

Of course I am not quiting my wood craft business, never no way!! My painting is not just a business to me, it is still therapy and I CANNOT stop. I will be working on several "new" projects and I'll be sharing them with you folks on here soon. So be sure to check back from time to time. And if you have never checked out my Etsy shop be sure to stop by there and look around. Just click on the "Bill's Etsy" link over on the right.

Wells I guess that's it for now, I hope you all have a wonderful eveing and I'll talk to you the next time.
Bill

Oh My Goodness

2010-07-26T07:33:00.003-05:00

A Lady ordered a set of the little boy and girl pictured above but with a little twist, She wanted them painted two shades of brown, to look like little black kids. I think they turned out pretty good :-) Now it is time to get the clear varnish on them, so they will weather better, and get them shipped off.

Today I will be cutting out some projects from my Halloween and Fall collection, it is time to get started on them. I already have some of my Halloween items listed on my Etsy Shop, be sure to check them out!!

Have a great day folks and remember, Walk with the King today and BE a blessing!!

Bill

One Week

2010-07-25T08:11:00.002-05:00

Well, one week from today we will be moving into our new home in Tarkio. Roxi and Michael are so excited they can hardly wait, they are both counting down the days. As for me, well, I am excited too but I hate change. But this is a change for the better and hopefully it will not take me long to adjust. Last Sunday we sold our place here in Fairfax and now we are just waiting for the 1st to get here so we can "get this show on the road". I'm going to take a few last pictures of this place next week and then it is on with the next chapter in my life. As for my wood craft business, well, I will continue to paint everyday, just as I do now. Nothing will change, I will always find a way to paint :) It will just be in a different place is all. When we get moved in I will take some pictures of our new home and share them on here.

Other than the heat and humidity there is just not to much going on here right now. I, of course, have been working on orders, along with the usual daily routine. Just staying busy everyday. I just finished a couple of K.C. Chiefs signs for a lady and am now working on an order from my Etsy shop. Say! If you have never stopped by my etsy shop and looked around, just click on the "Bill's Etsy Shop" link on the right and have a look around in there :)

This next week I am going to start on my fall line of wood crafts so be sure to watch this blog and my shop for new additions. You may see something you just can't live without :) Hope you all have a great day and I'll see you next time.
Bill

It Feels Like July

2010-07-18T09:48:00.002-05:00

For the last week and a half it has really felt like July here in NW Missouri. With temps in the mid to upper 90's and humidity that will take your breath away, It thas been very hot! But that is what happens here this time of year. Last summer we were really spoiled, the temp only got over 90 maybe three times the entire summer. But this July is proving to be a little more typical for us and we are not liking it a bit, LOL. But even with the heat and humidity I still believe I would rather have this than that horrible winter we had last year, anyday!

Today was supposed to be the day we were moving to our new apartment in Tarkio, BUT those plans have been moved to the 1st of August. The apartment manager wanted to paint the apartment and have the carpets cleaned before we move in. That is just fine with us and it will work out better financially for us to ove on the 1st anyway. SO! Two weeks from today we will be moving and opening a new chapter in our lives, we can't wait :)

I have been VERY busy with my wood craft business. People have really been ordering things and keeping me busy. I'm not complaining I am bragging, LOL. I am always happy when I am painting wood crafts :) Anyone reading this blog that has never checked out my "shop" just click on the "Bill's Etsy" link on the right and check things out.

I guess for now that is about it from here at Countryview folks. I hope you all have a wonderful day!!
Bill

Big Changes Coming

2010-06-30T08:40:00.003-05:00

here we are at the end of June already! It has been 15 days since I last posted and alot has happened since the 15th. There are some big changes coming for us here at Countryview. The first of the year Roxi and I filled out an application to be on a waiting list for an apartment in Tarkio. We were notified alomost 2 weeks ago that one was coming open at the end of this month. Tomorrow Roxi, Michael and I will go look at what will be OUR apartment and the three of us are VERY excited!! They are called Tarkio Family Apartments and they are VERY nice. Two bedrooms with two bathrooms and are very spacious, we can't wait. On Friday the 16th we will go sign our lease and Saturday the 17th we will start to move in. It will be a tremendous change for us but a change that is long over due. We can't wait!!!

Some of you that read this blog might wander why we would want to move from our own place to an apartment, let me see if I can explain it to you. I bought this 1971 14x60 trailer house in 2005 and placed it here on two lots that I have owned since 1993 and it has been a good home to us for 5 years, but it's not been easy. I didn't know the waterheater was broken when i bought the trailer and we just could never seem to get our hands on the money to replace it. So we have not had running hot water for 5 years now. We heat our water on the stove for baths and washing dishes. This old trailer never had a washer and dryer hookup, it's not even wired for 220 so we could never even put one in. So we have done our laundry in an old Maytag wringer washer now for 5 years and hung them outside in warm weather and inside in cold to dry. This old trailer is hot in the summer and cold in the winter. I could go on and on but those are three of the main reasons. We will be able to take a shower or bath without going to the kitchen first, LOL. There is a laundry facility there at the apartments so no more wringer washer :) AND it comes complete with an electric stove with oven, which we've not had an oven for 5 years either. It is only six blocks from where Roxi works so winter weather will not be a problem. BUT my main reason for moving to our new apartment is this, Roxi works VERY hard at her job and is VERY good at it and a woman that works that hard and is as good to a man as she is to me deserves better than what she has had for 5 years!! And she will have it!! I am very thankful for you Baby and VERY proud of you too :)

As for me, well, even though this place is VERY special to me I will be putting it up for sale soon. This property was given to me by a very special friend, Byron Brown, when he found out he was dying from cancer. It was the only thing of value that was ever just given to me in my life. This old trailer house, I waited 13 years to get the money to buy it and move it in here. But even though this place has a special place in my heart, and I will always have fond memories of it, My Sweety is even MORE special to me so this change was a very easy decision to make :) Even my Mom and Byron would tell me, if they could, it is time for this change Bill. Our new apartment will cost us 390.00 a month and the water and trash is paid and no more 3 hours of mowing the yard. They are all electric with central air which will save us ALOT of money on heating and cooling. And the money we will save on gas driving back and forth to Tarkio at least six days a week will almost pay the rent :) And since we no longer have a grocery store in this little town we won't have to drive 14 miles round trip to get a loaf of bread, LOL. It is time for this change!!

As for my wood craft business, well it will continue to operate as usual. The apartment has a back patio and a small storage room just outside the kitchen door where I will keep my bandsaw and other things I need for my work and of course all my painting is done at the table anyway. So Countryview Wood Crafts will continue operating just in a different location. To tell you the truth I can't wait to get things set up and get to painting in our new home :)

So there you go folks, there are BIG changes coming for us here at Countryview and we are beside ourselves with excitement!! Into everyones life some change must come and ours is now. This will be the nicest palce Roxi or I either one have lived in and Sweety you definately deserve this, Thank You :) Until next time folks remember to Walk with the King today and BE a blessing!!

Excitement at Countryview

2010-06-15T09:41:00.004-05:00

Yesterday evening about 7:00 pm we had quite a bit of excitement here at Countryview in Fairfax. The weather turned real bad real fast!! My Sweety and I noticed it was clouding up but it just looked like maybe a little rain (which we are used to getting everyday here now) so Roxi went off to the bathtub and I went to lay down on the bed and watch some tv. I wasn't back there 15 minutes when my son, Michael, came back and said "Do you hear that noise outside"? I went to the front door and looked out and the tornado siren was going off! It still didn't really look bad out but i told Roxi maybe she should get dressed in case we need to leave the house. I checked the local tv channels and there was nothing on them about tornadoes, I got my small hadheld radio and turned on KMA, there was nothing on there either. When I came back up front I could see there was a very heavy rain down on the bottom south of the house and the wind was really picking up. The siren was still blowing. I looked out the front door again and looked down the street to the west and 2 blocks from us there it was, a funnel cloud trying to form right there!!! 2 BLOCKS FROM OUR TRAILER!!! I yelled down the hall at Roxi and said "Baby are you about dressed we need to get out of here,NOW"!!! LOL The three of us got in the car and went to my Grandparents house just up the street where there is a basement. By the time we got up there the siren had quit blowing but it was really raining and blowing. The storm, and tornadoes, moved on east of us and we came back to the house about 8. We learned then that there had been a tornado on the ground just west of town and another one just south of town, then again one just east of town also. We were not even in a storm or tornado watch, it just came out of the blue!! Well anyway, we are all OK and i've not heard of any reported damage yet so I guess all is well LOL. But things were kind of spooky there for awhile!!

2010-06-06T08:29:00.003-05:00

Well once again it has been awhile since I've posted on this blog. I can't believe it is the 7th of June already!! I have been very busy painting and tending to the normal, everyday things of life (chores). Since getting back on my medication I have been feeling alot better and have ALOT more energy. The first week back on it I was dealing with the adjustment to the side effects, mainly drowsiness, but now I am feeling "alive" again. The doctor told me I should never have stopped taking my medication and please don't stop again, I wont :)

The photo above is a little Gnome and his mushroom house I finished a few weeks back. I have it listed on my Etsy shop and it has gotten quite a few views. I actually have already sold this one and I will be working on another in a few days. I've got several orders to get done over the next couple of weeks and then I am going to start working on my fall and christmas things. I don't EVEN want to get myself into the problem I had last year by not having enough fall and christmas stuff ready. I got SOOOOO far behind and I could have sold twice as much if I would have been prepared. So this year I will be prepared!!

Other than the everyday chores and life in general there is not much else to report here at Countryview. I hope you all have a wonderful day and remember to Walk with the King today and BE a blessing!!!
Bill

Just Sharing

2010-05-13T12:02:00.004-05:00

I just wanted to share this photo of my Dad pitching horseshoes at the Nursing Home. My Dad, Harry, is the one in the middle tossing the horseshoe. As I mentioned in my post yesterday, this is National Nursing Home Week and they have been having activities each day. My Sweety and I went to the Home to see my Dad Tuesday and he, along with several others, was just getting back from a horsedrawn buggy ride. Earlier in the day they had a cookout and as you can see some folks pitched horseshoes. If you click on the photo to enlarge it you can see two birdfeeders hanging in front of the window, (on the right hand side of the photo) that is my Dad's room. Also as I mentioned yesterday the grand finale will be a craft fair/carnival on the lawn there at the Nursing Home this Saturday the 15th. We are all looking forward to it. Hope you all have a wonderful day today!
Bill

Working Along, Slowly

2010-05-12T10:15:00.002-05:00

I see once again it has been awhile since I've made a post on here. I thought right now would be a good time to do that very thing. I've been working along even though it is progressing slowly, but I thin, maybe, I am beginning to get back into the swing of things. The Nursing Home in Tarkio, where my Father is at, is having a craft fair/carnival this Saturday and I am getting things ready to be there selling. This is National Nursing Home Week and this event will be the grand finale and everyone is looking forward to it. I don't have alot of outdoor lawn ornaments to offer rigth now but I do have quite a bit of indoor home decor items to offer. And of course I will be selling the things my Sweety makes also, pillow covers, crocheted towel toppers, crocheted scrubbies and I just not sure what all she has to offer. We are hoping for a profitable day but most of all it will be alot of fun. Sadly Roxi has to work that day and will not be able to be there with me but I know she will be with me in "spirit".

We have been having alot of cool, cloudy, rainy weather here at Countryview. The high temps have been in the upper 50's and low 60' for several days. In fact our furnace has kicked on several times during the night. But I am sure that it won't be long before it gets hot and stays that way for awhile. Personally I like the cooler weather but i would like to see the sun shine a little more often. But since I don't control the weather, God does, i will take what I get and be happy :)

I've been getting a little better sleep at night the past few nights. The situation that was causing my sleepless nights has not been resolved but I have taken steps to "remove" myslef from it. Actually there are several "situations" and I am doing my best to let each one (person) work it out for themselves. All I can really do is just continue to pray daily and let God handle it. So that is what I've been trying to do.

As many of you that read this blog know I was diagnosed several years ago with Bipolar Depression. I took medication for it for 10 years but in November 2005 I took myself off of it. This week I am going to see the doctor and get back on the medication. It is not something I really want to do but Roxi and I both think it is the best thing for me to do right now. In the last year and a half there has been a tremendous change and we both think it is time for me to get back on the medication. Actually I probably should never have quit taking it but I can fix that problem.

And now that I've probaly told you more than you really want to know :) I am going to sign off and get to work painting wood crafts. I hope you all have a wonderfull day and I will TRY to make a post a little sooner this time. Remember, Walk with the King today and BE a blessing!!
Bill

Happenings At Countryview

2010-04-30T11:42:00.003-05:00

Well once again it has been just over a week since I've made a post on here. There has been so much going on in my personal life that has been dragging me down that I've really slacked off on several things, including this blog. BUT, Today I just decided to make myself get busy and I'm starting with this blog!

Without going into detail I will say that over the last several weeks I've been getting late night phone calls that last anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours and they are VERY upsetting to me. So it probably goes without saying that I have lost quite a bit of sleep the past few weeks and it is really taking it's tole on me. That would be the main reason I have not gotten alot done the past few weeks in the painting department. BUT, I am hoping to start changing that TODAY.

Last night we had a late night thunderstorm move through but it really didn't amount to alot. Off to our east and a bit north they really got it though. We didn't miss the severe stuff by very much at all. As a matter of fact I could see the lightning standing here on our front steps. today it is quite a bit cooler with temps in the low 60's and still cloudy. BUT, the wind is not blowing 40 miles an hour today which is a great improvement from yesterday.

As for my Wood Craft business (that I've been neglecting) I have an order from some folks in Tarkio for several Garden Markers and a special garden sign. AND I'm still working on some Mushroom houses and Gnomes. I posted a couple of photos of the one I have finished for you to see.

For now I am signing off. Have a great day folks and always remember to Walk with the King today and BE a Blessing.

Bill

Planting Corn

2010-04-21T11:35:00.002-05:00

Well as you can tell from the photos I've posted on today that it is corn planting time again. I actually uploaded these photos backwords. I wanted to show them to you in the order they were taken but I forgot how this "order" thing worked. but that's ok you still get to see them.

You can kind of see the dust coming up from the planter, we could actually use a good shower here right now.

In this photo, if you look closely, you can see another tractor working in the field just south of the one by our place. To get a better look just click on the photo, then you can see it better. Also in this photo you can see my Sweety working in the blackberry patch. She is trimming out some of the old dead canes to make room for new ones. Thank you Sweety :)

This is actually the photo I wanted to be first. He started palnting corn at the south end of the field and worked his way north. You can also see here in this photo that my garden is tilled and ready for planting and that the peonies are shooting up by leaps and bounds. Since my garden tiller is broke down I had a man from Tarkio come down and till the garden for me this year. I took these photos Monday evening and that is the same day he came and tilled the garden. So there was alot of "field" work being done here at Countryview Monday.

Well i guess that's about it for now folks so I'll sign off for now. Remember to Walk with the King today and BE a blessing!!

Bill

Little Tire Swingers

2010-04-15T11:06:00.002-05:00

Today I thought I would share some photos of these little tire swingers. I make several different ones but the Dalmation, pig and cow are the ones I have on hand right now. They average about 10" tall and are 7" wide and of course come with an eye screw and length of rope for hanging in a tree or where ever you would like. I have them listed on my Etsy shop www.countryviewwoodcraft.etsy.com if you are interested in these little tire swingers or any of the other items that are listed on my shop. Stop by and check it out.

The Spring weather continues to be beautiful here at Countryview. even though we have been getting our March winds in April it is still nice to have this warm weather, especially after this long winter we had here in NW Missouri. My new mower arrived yesterday via FedEx and I have already been mowing some on our yard. It sure beats scooping snow anyday :)

You folks have a wonderful day and remember to Walk with the King today and BE a blessing!!

Bill

Update From Countryview

2010-04-14T08:45:00.002-05:00

Time seems to slip by so very fast! I've not made a post on this blog since March 30th! I have been feeling pretty bad for quite sometime now and just have not taken the time to get on here. I am not certain, since I didn't go to the Doctor, but I truly think I had a touch of pneumonia. BUT!!! I am breathing better and feeling much better so maybe I am on the mend now.

I ordered a new lawn mower from Wal Mart. com and it should be here today or tomorrow. That won't be a minute to soon Our yard is really needing mowed. This beautiful warm spring weather really has things greening up and growing. It's been pretty windy here but then it always is this time of year here at Countryview.

Over the last couple of days I have actually felt like doing some painting. My wood craft painting has really suffered over the last few weeks while I've been under the weather. But maybe I can kind of get caught up since I am feeling better. I have so many new things I want to get finished and listed on my Etsy shop but I know it will be slow going for a few days. I am so thankful though that God has given me such a beautiful place to do my work. It is great to be able to sit here and paint, look out the south facing windows and see the "countryview". And thank you Sweety for making it possible to stay home and do what I truly love, paint wood crafts. I couldn't do it with out you, I Love you!

I think for now folks I will sign off and see what I can get done. I'll try to be a little better about posting on here and I should have some new photos to share with you in a day or two. I hope you all have a wonderful day and remember, Walk with the King today and BE a blessing!!
Bill

Fast Food Lover Sign

2010-03-30T11:33:00.001-05:00

I wanted to take a few minutes to share the photo with you of the "Fast Food Lover" sign I just finished the other day. Isn't that a cute sign?

I would like to say that I have been really busy painting away but actually I've not gotten much done the last few days. I have been sick since last thursday and yesterday was the first day I felt like being out of bed for any length of time.Today I am feeling a little better so hopefully I'm "on the mend" now. I don't know what the problem was but I kind of have a suspicion I let myself stress WAY to much for WAY to long, but I don't know that for sure. I guess time will tell and if I don't keep improving I will have to go see the Doctor.

For now folks I am going to sing off. I hope you all have a wonderful day today and I'll try to post a little sooner the next time :)
Bill

Newest Item On My Etsy

2010-03-21T14:07:00.002-05:00

Well, as promised, here is a photo of the Bugs Bunny wall plaque I just finished this morning. It is the newest item on my Etsy shop. to get a better view of it just click on the photo. Now i am working on another wall plaque, this one is Wile E. Coyote and the Roadrunner with the saying in between them "Fast Food Lover". I should have it finished tomorrow and then I can share that photo with you. If you are new to this blog and have never checked out my Etsy shop, just click on the link to the right "Bills Etsy" and take a look around. These items are just a small sampling of my work but I'll be adding new items weekly so be sure to stop by often :)

The weather took a turn for the worse Friday afernoon. It started to snow about 3:00 in the afternoon and by the time it was finished we had about 3" of wet, slushy snow on the ground. the high yesterday, Saturday, was only in the mid 30's but the highways and streets melted off pretty good. Today is alot warmer with highs in the upper 40's and once again we have very little snow on the ground. I, along with most everyone here in NW Missouri, am hoping that this was winters last stand. Afterall today is the first full day of spring so that means it is time for warmer weather, and NO snow! Tomorrow the weatherman promises a high around 60, that's much better :)

My Sweety took a picture of a Robin sitting outside our window Thursday so I thought I would share that photo with you today also. Robins are a certain sign of spring and last weekend there were more than thirty of them just outside our window :) Now that was a wonderful sight! So it is REALLY looking like we have this winter thing whipped for this year, finally :)

You folks have a wonderful day, I'm signing off for now and getting back to my painting. And as always, remember to, Walk with the King today and BE a blessing!!

Bill

Wonderful Weather Yesterday

2010-03-19T11:14:00.004-05:00

I'm sorry folks, it has been a week since I last posted! I guess I have just been busy cutting, sanding and painting wood crafts, that's the only excuse I have. But it is a good one! I've been working on several new projects to get listed on my Etsy shop. I'm currently working on four wall plaques, or signs, which ever you want to call them. One of them is a "welcome to our funny farm" sign just like the one I make for outdoors. But this one is smaller, made to sit on a shelf or hang on the wall. Then there is Bugs Bunny saying "What's Up Doc" of course, one with the Wiley coyote and the Road Runner and in the middle it says "Fast Food lover", and then I am making one with Scooby Doo and Shaggy together. I should have them finished the first part of the week and I'll share the photos with you. Sometime today I am going out to the shop and cut out and couple of little mushroom houses and Gnomes, they will be a two piece set. I made the little mushroom houses last year but I made a small bunny to go with them. I was thinking the other day that a Gnome would go really well with the little houses. So I designed a little gnome and we are going to try this idea out and see how it works. I think it will be really cute. Things are going fairly well on my Etsy shop, slow but steady. I think with the weather warming up some and with several new items on my shop things will pick up some. I'm praying they will anyhow :)

Speaking of the weather warming up some, Yesterday was a positivlybeautiful day!! We were blessed with temperatures in the mid 60's and lots of sunshine. It was a wonderful break after this LONG winter we have had this year. Today however is a little different. The temp right now is in the low 40's and the weatherman says that is the high for today :( Not only that but we are to expect some rain and even snow this afternoon and tonight, YUCK! Oh well, on the positive side the old snow won't stick around very long at all. I mean afterall This Sunday, the 21st, is the first full day of Spring! Can you believe it?!!! We are almost there folks!! Now that is exciting news :)

Well I guess I better sign off for now folks. I've got a few dishes to wash real quick and then I am going to have a bowl of clam chowder for lunch. Then after lunch it is back to work. I hope you all have a wonderful and Godly day. For what earthly good is a good day if not a Godly one :) remember, Walk with the King today and BE a blessing!!!!
Bill

YUCK!!!!

2010-03-11T11:39:00.004-06:00

Old man winter is showing us here at Countryview that winter is not over yet. Rain we were getting last night turned to snow early this morning making things a little "tricky" out there. We ended up getting an accumulation of about an inch or so. but it is melting off fairly well right now. So the streets and hiways are just wet right now, but it wasn't that way earlier this morning. A young woman from here in town was driving to work this morning and lost control of her car in the slushy snow, drove across the center line and hit a truck nearly head on. I don't know how badly she or the truck driver were hurt but I do know they were taken to the local hospital. I am very glad that neither one of them were killed. Both vehicles were totaled, yes even the 18 wheeler. I suppose, in trying to get away from the lady, he came across the road and drive right into a very large bank. It really tore that bank up and it didn't do his truck much good either and of course the young womans car was REALLY a mess. Roxi and I both were afraid that she was killed from the looks of her car.but we found out later that she would be all right. AND the weatherman promises more for tonight as well!!! WOOOHOOO!! But, looking on the bright side, Spring is knocking on the door here at Countryview. The daffodils, crocuses and tulips will be poking through the ground any day now and our forsythia bushes will burst into to bloom within days also. So I am hanging on tight, The worst is over :) I hope you all have a wonderful day and remember, Spring is almost here so don't give up now, we are almost there :) Remember today to Walk with the King and BE a blessing!!

Very Little Snow!!!!!!

2010-03-08T18:31:00.003-06:00

I mentioned on my post this morning that almost all the snow has melted here at Countryview, so this evening I thought I would post a couple of photos to show just how far we have come the last few days. You can go back to some of my earlier posts to see what things did look like not to long ago. Yes everything is muddy but it is soooo wonderful!!!

Bill

Great Weather

2010-03-08T07:31:00.002-06:00

The past week, especially the latter part of it, we finally got some very nice weather. There was actually a couple of days that our highs got to 50 degree's! We had not seen temps like that since early November and it was welcome relief from this long cold, snowy winter. The only snow left on the ground right now is the piles where the huge drifts piled up during those THREE blizzards we had. And even they are shrinking. The weatherman promises some rain tonight, that will really help melt those piles of snow and wash the dirty streets and roads off. So It looks like we are bout through with winter here at Countryview, at least I hope so :)

Yesterday my Sweety and I went to Shenandoah, Iowa to the Wal-Mart store there. Shenandoah is the closest place for us to go to Wal-Mart and it is a 60 mile round trip. I restocked alot of the paint I was getting very low on and even got a little extra since some of the colors were on sale for .25 a bottle. Of course we bought a few other things as well. You can't go to Wal-Mart without getting an extra item or two, can you? But the best part was we had a great time just getting out of the house and out of this area for a little while. And I was with my Sweety which made it perfect!

I like to sit on the endge of our bed and watch the birds feed at the feeder outside our bedroom window. I have this feeder placed about 2 feet from the window so I can see the birds VERY clearly. It is so interesting to see how the different birds eat the black oil sunflower seeds I have in the feeder. A big bluejay would take a sunflower seed out of the feeder, turn around, place it between his feet and hold it with them while he craked the shell open, then take the kernel out an deat it and discard the other part of the shell. It was so cool to watch him do this for several minutes. The female cardinal that kept coming to the feeder ate her's in a different manner. She would tak a sunflower seed out, kind of roll it around in her mouth to get it just in the right position, then use her beak in a scissor type motion to crack the shell open, spit out the shell and eat the kernel. It was just alot of fun to watch them, I truly enjoy watching the birds!

I FINALLY got my new bandsaw blades, which I needed very badly, in the mail Friday. So today I am going out to the shop, put a new blade on the bandsaw and get down to some serious cutting :) I have one project I HAVE to cut out for an order and there are several new things I want to be working on for my Etsy shop. BUT first we have to go to Tarkio to the laundrymat and do some laundry. Then I will be wood crafting for sure :)

For now though I better sign off and get a little varnishing done before we head off up to Tarkio, again. I hope you all have a beautiful day where you are and remember to Walk with the King today and BE a blessing!!
Bill

It Is Beginning To Warm Up Some

2010-03-01T15:22:00.002-06:00

Finally!!! It is beginning to warm up some here at Countryview. For the pasr few days we have had high's in the low to md 30's, which may not sound to warm to alot of you folks but to us it is a GREAT big step forward toward Spring. And that's not all, the weatherman is promising high's in the low 40's by weeks end. I know I speak for MANY people here in NW Missouri when I say, I am so excited!!! This has been a very long, very cold, VERY snowy winter and we are ALL ready for Spring. I, for one, am ready to see some new "life" outdoors, tree's budding, the daffodils blooming and the grass greening up AND new plants growing in the garden. So these warmer temps are very exciting to see come around.

As far as painting wood crafts goes, I have not been getting nearly as much done as I should, but I have been feeling ALOT better the last few days and hopefully I can get myself into gear. I ordered 3 new sets of REALLY cute easter patterns yesterday and I am very anxious to get started on them. I hope I can have these new projects ready before Easter, but even if I can't get them done that fast I am still going to make them because they are sooooo cute and it will be alot of fun painting them. As I get them finished I will share the photos with you here on my blog, so be sure to watch for them in a couple of weeks :)

I guess that's about it for now folks, so I will sign off for now and see what I can get done in the painting department :) I hope you all have a wonderful day and always remember, Walk with the King today and BE a blessing!!!
Bill

Still More Winter

2010-02-20T19:46:00.003-06:00

I posted this photo this evening mainly so I could see a little green instead of all this snow we have right now. We have had snow on the ground since December 3rd. Everytime the snow really starts to melt here comes more snow. Thursday all the highways and streets were all thawed out and nice and dry BUT yesterday (Friday) morning we got up to rain and sleet and by 9 it had changed to a very heavy, wet, slushy snow. We ended up getting just a little over 4 inches. AND now the weatherman says we have 1-3" coming tonight and 3-6" tomorrow. Do I need to ask if anybody is ready for Spring, LOL!! I know I certainly am. So with tonights post I thought I would share a little "green" with you all instead of another photo of snow, I'm sure you have all seen all you want of snow also :)

Other than the weather there is not to much going on here at Countryview to report. I've not been getting as much painting done as I should, This long, cold winter has me so wonky I just can't get as excited as I should. BUT, tomorrow is a new day and maybe, just maybe, I will be a little more excited than today :) I certainly need to get excited about my painting, Spring is just around the corner, regardless of what the weather is like today, and I have alot of new projects to be working on before it gets here.

But for now folks I am going to sign off and get ready for bed. I hope you all have a wonderful, snow free night. Talk to you next time,
Bill