Toolbelt Mavins!

Shannon (Mother of 7) built this pergola!

Mariah & Shannon built this chicken coop!

Shannon also built these shelves, stained them, etc.!!

Abby recently posted on her FB a picture of what she built/created/crafted for her late Grandfather's flag.  reading the ease with which she talked about what she had done, realizing she had used power tools... reminded me again of the respect I have for these young pioneer-type women. 

Bold, brave, daring!  confident, self-assurance, talented!  Superwomen! 

I thought of Mariah and Shannon.  Landscaping.  Placing garden gates in a just so position.  Building Chicken coops.  Bookcases.  Shelving for bathrooms.  Painting BB lines on driveway.  Digging post holes and placing fence posts in a line as straight as an arrow.  The list goes on and on of accomplishments and so does the list of doers.

Women of this generation are creative and nothing seems to big a project.

Early this year I read about a woman in Delta Junction, Alaska.  She was 26, pregnant and living in one room.  She wanted her unborn daughter to have a home but knew there was no money to buy one.  so she did what any enterprising young modern gal would do.  She decided to build a home.  Herself!  She studied for a year, decided what to do, made endless 100 mile trips to the nearest Home Depot.  Paycheck to paycheck she bought supplies and built.  She ended up with a completely paid for 3-bedroom, 2-bath home.

Spurred on by that success but having no furniture, she decided to learn about furniture building using the leftover wood.

That motivated/inspired/kindled the desire to share what she had learned.  In 2009 her furniture design site opened up a blog.  www.ana-white.com   That led to her writing/publishing a book called The Handbuilt Home, filled with her furniture plans.  Looks like she has now partnered with Home Depot.  Her Adirondack chair looks so nice in the picture.

Ana White says- We're more capable than we think.  Whatever your situation, if you want something bad enough, you can make extraordinary things happen.

IF I could have a life do-over...I'd build a house!  One time a friend, Dianne, told me of a house that she had designed and oversaw in the building.  We really talked of building the perfect house and doing the work ourselves.  I'm prone to dreaming outlandish projects at times.  She also had wanted to buy a building in Prosser and bake artisan bread and I was going to manage it!  That was really out there on that one!!  We were at entirely different stages of life, both raising children (her youngest a babe in arms.  my youngest in college!), and of course the plane never took off.  probably because it had no fuel nor pilot!  But it was fun to dream.  IF I was young, living in Alaska, I'd build! 

My friend Joyce and I were forever planning businesses and we actually did some of them and we had such a grand time.  And our friendship survived and actually grew stronger.  Our last adventure before we moved from Alaska was opening a fudge shop.  At one time we had 2 shops.  one downtown and one on Homer Spit.  Then we had a store built on the boardwalk and closed the other two.  No one had more fun than us!! 

I believe women are powerful and can do anything they seriously set their minds to.  Women are amazing and impressive.  Take a minute and peak in your bathroom mirror and see strength at it's most powerful!!

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I'm taking these 2010 pictures of Mariah from FB.  I wonder if that's nice or not nice?  I hope it's okay! 


by Abby (mother of 4)-Just a little  sumthin I put together today. It was my grandpa's flag. He died June 96 . So every time I look at it I will think of him and my sweet grandma.


This frame is actually quite large.3 1/2 ft x 5 1/2 ft Ill post another picture so you can see it in relation to something besides a wall. I just found old fencing planks (1x6's) in my neighbors wood pile that she let me have. I cut the ends at 45's and stapled and screwed it together. I didn't do anything to the wood. I didn't even clean it. The back has 4 frame eyelets and a heavy frame cable through those. It is quite heavy (maybe 25-30 lbs) so I am going to use 2 50lb drywall anchors to hold it. I just stretched the flag and stapled it to the back around the very edge. Glad you all like it. I had planned on doing this for a long time so I am glad I got to it!


Mariah (Mother of 4)....2010

Mariah painting lines on BB court

Mariah fixing Irrigation Pipes

Sanding bookshelves she made