Becky and I went to Connie’s house at Okoboji today – I had never been there since she moved 18 months ago because of Rick’s health issues. I loved seeing all her treasures that she acquired through the years – many on trips we took together to market, etc. Seeing them in a new environment was so fun!
We ate outside at the Taco House which was DELICIOUS! And then we had to head for home – too many depending on me here.
We stopped at the antique mall and thrift store – quickly.
Look! Debbie Mumm fabric and I’m going to use it in a fall quilt.
Such a fun day! I have several questions and comments to discuss but I guess it will tomorrow – thanks for all the fun with My Black Hen!
Interesting to see her treasures against a neutral background! Thank you for sharing.
What a fun day for you!! Connie’s home is lovely!
You always manage to find treasures when you go to the thrift store/antique store! Lucky you!!
Great finds at the thrift store! Looks like another silver dish for scissors. Like that plaid fabric too. And sweet needlework.
Connie’s home is beautiful and filled with treasures. Thanks for the tour.
Your moms stone cottage photo was lovely too. I do love stone houses.
I spent about four hours helping my sister with yard work at her new home. They have 7 1/2 acres and loads of mature trees. It got too hot to keep working outside so after lunch we moved boxes and plants from her old house to the new one. She has a huge gorgeous jade plant. Have a great weekend.
Sunflower – you’re a kind good sister to help her with both yard work and moving boxes and plants. I’m not sure I’d be so willing.
WHat a beautiful place!
What a great day! I love the little stone cottage that had belonged to your Mother. So cozy. Connie’s house is just lovely and she displays her personality and interests wonderfully, as you do Mary. Lake Okoboji is almost a distant memory as I’ve not been there for years. Spent lots of time there as a child. We had family in Hartley. Old friendships are just the best!
Connie has a lovely home. I’ve never heard or seen an elevator to the lake (and I grew up in MN). Thanks for the short tour. Boy, you and Jo Krammer (joscountryjunction) sure find the neatest things at Iowa thrift stores.
Martha – along Connie’s shoreline nearly every home has an elevator because it’s so steep. They have steps, too, many many steps.
What a fun day your girls had! Loved seeing Connie’s new home, so many windows, the lighting would be fabulous. You found some nice items thrifting, love that pin cushion.
Love the house!!
I love Debbie Mum fabric
What a wonderful escape! Now that yard work is drawing to an end, you should escape more often. Becky and Connie look great. Becky is still glowing from her hole in one.
Connie’s house is beautiful, I’m not sure I could live that close to neighbors. I love my neighbors, but they are a hundred yards away.
Did you ride the elevator?
Connie has a beautiful house, I would love to see all her things but that little stone cottage I would love to see that to
Thanks for the tour, Mary! What a beautiful place. My Dad grew up in Rochester told stories of going to Okoboji during the depression. His favorite Aunt and Uncle and cousin lived there. We visited many summers and I have fond memories of going down the HUGE SLIDE as a little girl. Wish I could follow you through those great thrift shops!
Mary, what a FUN day! Did you drive RED?
So good to see Connie and her beautiful home.
Glad you had a quick stop at the thrift shop.
Thanks for sharing!
Vicki – no, I didn’t drive Red. I probably should have, huh? My opportunities are coming to an end soon with winter weather.
Connie’s house looks like such a fun place to live, not to mention how lovely it is. Must be so relaxing to sit on the porch and look out over the lake. Her wall of small quilts is awesome and I am wondering how she hangs them? What does she use, do you know? They are so flat against the wall. I would like mine to look like that.
Love you treasures.
Sue, I was also wondering how she keeps the quilts so flat. They look great.
Sue – I will find out.
Thank you for the wonderful tour. You both have beautiful homes. I loved the stone house also. I’ve never heard of a quick stop at any thrift store. 🙂
What a beautiful home! So much decorating inspiration. Now I want to make a bunch of small quilts for my stairway wall! I love the little ‘God Bless our Home’ cross stitch that you found! I’m so glad that you got to have that visit and that you shared it with us!
Thank you for the tour of Connie’s beautiful home! Such inspiration everywhere! Plus, another reminder to make that pretty orange quilt. Love it!
🌻 Good morning Mary,
Thanks for taking all of us along with you to see Connie and her beautiful home.
I’m wondering if the little quilts hanging on Connie’s staircase wall are from your quilt books?
Take it easy and have a nice day.
Debby from Wisconsin 🐝
Debby – some were and some were from Kim Diehl’s Small Whatnots Club that Connie used to belong to. The display covered many many years of quilt making.
🌻 Thanks for your reply. I’ll have to check my Kim Diego’s book.
Debby🐝
It is so nice to “see” Connie and her welcoming new home. I hope she is loving lake living. Your moms home is so adorable. Is that why you named one of your books with the lake word in it ? I hope you and Becky get out and about more before snowflakes keep our feet home. It looks like a happy adventure for the day.
Kathy – At the Lake was a fun book to work on – Connie’s house used to be a small rundown cottage before they built this new house so both of us had lake backgrounds. (Connie’s boys used to call their cottage “the house of work” – ha!)
I love Connie’s house! What a great tour. Very nice that you and Becky could go visit! We are having low 80’s with low humidity here in central Indiana—lovely weather, although we need rain. Score! At the thrift shop!
So great to see the Country Threads girls together again. Connie’s home is spectacular.
Love her collections and the way she displays them. Really miss my fall trip to your quilt shop. Have you thought of sharing your chicken quilt called “Sawing Logs” since Black Hen is unavailable?
Deb – what book is it in?
First appeared in book titled “On Behalf of Chickens” but also included in your book titled “Hibernation”.
Help! I don’t see Sawing Logs in On Behalf if Chuckens and I can’t think what book is Hibernation – please use my email maryehazel2020@gmail.com
I’ll chat with you via email – ok?
Glad you took the time to visit your friend, Connie. The stone cabin is so cute. Thanks for taking us on the tour. Thriving is always enjoyable.
What a fun day you and Becky had. I loved seeing Connie and her beautiful home on the lake. I didn’t realize she collected religious art – I do too. I just got another one yesterday at a garage sale for $2 and it’s beautiful.
We’re on our way to another city-wide garage sale in a town 30 miles from us. Our church does a coat drive every October so we’re hoping to pick up winter coats, mittens, hats and snow boots. Have a great weekend everyone!
Connie’s home is lovely. She definitely has decorating skills. When I was very young we lived in NW Iowa, and went to Okoboji at least once a year. It was often with a church group to the Methodist campground.
Beryl – and I know just where that camp is!
I loved seeing Connie’s beautiful lake house decorated with so many things collected over the years. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a lake house so high over the lake—what beautiful views! It is good to catch up with what Connie is doing now. I know the trend is to downsize and minimize our stuff but I’m also glad to know that there are so many of us that just can’t part with all the treasures we’ve collected over the years.
Sally – I’m keeping my stuff and nobody can make me feel guilty!!
I have come to agree with you. My daughters will just have to deal with it but it’s all part of who I am and it brings me happiness in this changing world.
Sally – Ditto – I figure whoever deals with my estate is getting paid in some way so they have to earn it – I’m keeping my stuff because I love it.
Fun day at Connie’s for sure! I’m glad you were finally able to go visit. And shared pictures with us. It’s a beautiful home. And the stone cottage looks charming.
Mary – Wow! Connie’s house is nice. Just looking at the drop off to the lake made my knees weak! Long way down! No wonder there’s an elevator! LOL
And your mom’s stone cottage must bring back a ton of memories! You and Connie are so talented in your displaying all of the items you bought and collected through the years! I have so much stuff tucked away. Not sure what I’m waiting for – I might as well display it!
Love the combination of colors for the Fresh Air quilt from Fresh Start Quilts!
Especially like the Debbie Mumm fabric. Will be a nice addition to a quilt.
Take care everyone!
Love the Mumm fabric! What a bargain! And the embroidered piece. ❤️❤️❤️ and your mom’s stone house! Connie’s new home is awesome!
Your Debbie Mumm fabric will look great in an autumn quilt. Love the details of Connie’s house.
We are getting much needed rain and are to have more over the weekend. I can’t wait! The plants need it and it also means I will have more fabric therapy time. We transplanted iris rhizomes yesterday and this rain is just what the transplants need. I spent 2 and 1/2 hours on phone business this morning – necessary but one of my least favorite ways to spend time. Yug! A day outing like yours at Connie’s sounds wonderful.
I’ve been to Lake Okoboji, many decades ago. My mother’s family was from Graettinger, about 30 miles from there. And the only thing I remember is wading in the lake and getting leeches on my feet!
Dot – what an awful memory!!!!
It wasn’t too bad – my Mama pulled them off quickly. I do also remember all the chicken dinners, and chicken lunches we had, with all Mama’s friends and family wanting to have us over for a meal.
Such fun! We miss Connie! Her home and the lake are gorgeous. So glad you got to go visit. Thanks, Connie for sharing with us, too!
And, fabric at the thrift store! The best kind of day.
WHAT a great blog today! I have thought of Connie many many times since she moved away and couldn’t stop by your place to share what’s happening. She has great taste and a perfect eye for putting fabrics together. Her house is amazing. What a great place to live. Until it’s time to wash all those windows. OMG! Thank you so much for keeping us connected with Connie. She looks great by the way. Wonder how she manages that.
Hi Mary…Thanks for sharing your visit w/Connie. I have thought about Connie and how she may be doing. The home is lovely and her collections too. You both have a “special touch” with how you display your finds. Thank you both for your quilting knowledge as that is how I discovered Country Threads many years ago.
Helen Jane – sweet of you to say – not sure amount our quilting knowledge however since we were both self taught. We learned as we went by trial and error.
Helen Jane – that should have read “about our quilting knowledge” – I don’t want this IPad to think for me. Is there any way to turn that off?
Thanks to you and Connie for the home tour, it’s beautiful! I love how she displayed her small quilts in a group. I’m going to try that.
Thanks for the tour, Mary, I love your mother’s stone cottage, and thank you Connie for sharing your lakeside home with us. It looks amazing!
Fiona – mom’s cottage was not a year round home – just rock walls outside and pine walls inside. My parents bought it furnished – everything included in 1967 and they were only the second owners. Mom sold it after she entered the care center. I never did get to spend much time there because I was always working.
Debbie Mumm fabric was my favorite back in the day. Once in awhile I still run across a piece that I still have in my stash. Connie’s home is beautiful. Thanks for taking us on a tour. I’m sure she has a quilt room somewhere in that beautiful house. I have never been to Lake Okoboji. I am in southeast Iowa and it is in northwest Iowa —- opposite corners!
Jeanine – quilt room? You mean like sewing room? That was the room with all the white cupboards
Ok. That makes sense. I guess I didn’t see a sewing machine, but maybe I didn’t look very good. Those white cabinets are so nice. So much storage.
Jeanine – in the picture of Becky and Connie her machine is to her left out of your sight. It’s a Bernina but I didn’t bother with a picture. I was looking at all the other stuff!!
What a beautiful home! Thank you, Mary and Connie, for sharing.
Such a fun house tour; thanks for taking us along.
Connie’s religious pictures bring back memories of pictures in my parents’ and grandmother’s house. I was living outstate when my mom died so I doubt if my sisters kept any of them. I’d pick them up if I saw them in an antique store. Thanks for sharing photos.
Loved the pictures!!!
What a beautiful day together! Mary’s home and view is fabulous!
Thanks for the tour. Love Connie’s house and the stone cottage. I love the elevator lakeside.
Connie has retired in style! Fabulous home, and decor. I envy both of you so much your talent with color!
The stone cottage is somewhere I would be pleased as punch to live!