Today is RJ's birthday! I tried to find something special for him and decided on a Garmin GPS for his car. He's been looking around for a while and He really liked this one.  All the boys called to wish dad a happy birthday.  We spent the day staining the deck in back...ran out of paint. Wound up running out to Home Depot to buy another 5 gallons of stain.  Lots of decking to stain.  The weather here has been gorgeous so we were taking advantage of it.  We started early and work until dusk. I think we should be able to finish by Friday. Then it's on to the next project.

I found this really neat pattern for a sweater shawl. That's all I can call it. It's made with organic yarn in a multitude of lacey stitches with big buttons. I love it! I think that will be the next knitted project.

My neighbor brought over a bushel of apples yesterday. Cinnamon applesauce! Canned apple slices! Choices and lots of them. The bottom line is they need to be processed soon or it will be all for naught.  So tomorrow after my Chamber meeting, I'll be cutting up apples and baking. We have guests coming in on Friday. A couple of Cranberry Nut Breads are in order. There are so many things I would like to do and I need about 2 more hours a day. That should do it.

But since that is not possible, I need to prioritize and budget my time.  With everything I do, I wonder sometimes how I managed to work a job outside my home. After I finish ironing this evening, I think I'll call it a night, since I'll be up early to make a few phone calls and get out to finish painting the back deck. I've been thinking a lot about paint lately (probably since I've been  painting). I'm thinking the kitchen at the Inn could be painted and freshened up without a total makeover (unaffordable at this time).  White trim, sage walls, white ceiling, new fixture (I need better lighting) and I'm thinking about painting the kitchen cabinets. This would cleanup the kitchen and make it look brighter.  Hmmmm... we'll see how much time I have after the deck painting extravaganza...