· Brach's Pure Candies Exclusively

Sam gets to hibernate very little in the off-season,

with always a project for the handyman!
This spring he busied himself withclosing in a corner nook of the porch,opening space to the inside foyer.For the exterior beautification of this projectwe have collected a fancy array of mossy rocks,which can only mean...Sam will soon be learning another handy tradewhen it comes to applying the rocks to his new wall.While awaiting the arrival of a stained glass windowfor installation into the wall,Sam is not one to idle on pause.His in-between project is shown below...
— Brach's Pure Candies Exclusively —
The pictured antique slant-front displaywill have a new life in the gift shop foyer,tempting visitors of the shop with treats and snacks.Sam wanted to preserve the feel of original pastel colors,since he saw it as a confectionery display;and since I love the shabby chic look, we negotiated...
The former life of the displayincluded time in a Standard Station.Hidden in the shambles was the color scheme...

On Friday (April 8) I made an experimental cookie.

Surprisingly, Sweet-Tooth Sam asked for slightly less sugar next time.

So I asked him to give most of that first batch of Sam's Perfect Cookies

to the men working on the church addition,

so I could produce the second edition of the recipe.

As shown in the Monday (April 11) photo, below,

Sam was persuaded to take a break from his refurbishing work

to test the slightly less-sweet cookie.

Shortly after this photo was taken, Sam said,

while trying to install the doors on the display case,

"I ran into a problem getting the doors to fit.

I need another cookie, to think." :)

Mountains To Prairies Bed and Breakfast
bed and breakfast hospitality inn
hill city - central black hills national forest - south dakota
convenient lodging location near
mount rushmore - 1880 train - custer state park
- wind cave national park - jewel cave national monument
- crazy horse memorial - black elk wilderness
- mountain lakes - harney peak - norbeck scenic byway
- george s. mickelson trail - the centennial trail
- historic downtown hill city - antiques

· Project Roundup

Mountains To Prairies Bed and Breakfast (Black Hills Home Cabins) - Here is an album showing several of Sam's projects, as well as a peek at our Rhubarb's current stage of development. Rhubarb is a beautiful plant, and it doesn't require much patience, like some of Sam's projects do. We can just look out the door and watch it grow from day to day.

(Click the first picture to enlarge...will take you to the album on facebook,

then click 'next' in upper right corner to continue through the album.)

Project Roundup 04.28.10

13 new photos

· Antique Table Finishing and Micro-Shelf

Mountains To Prairies Bed and Breakfast (Black Hills Home Cabins) Finishing the antique table has become for Sam more of a CHALLENGE than a mere Project. He asked me to come look at it, thinking we'd also carry it into the house. BUT...he had applied the last coat of finish in the late afternoon ...and ...well ...who would think of gnats in mid-April? Hohum, here we go again—except it is raining, so challenge delayed. On the sunnier side...

How do you like the new micro-shelf that Sam built for the Bluma Madle Suite? In the second pic, Sam is demonstrating an old magnetic toy of Shelby and Ava's (granddaughters), which was placed on the little fridge for one of our toddler guests...

See More (click the link below pics)

Microwave Shelf in Bluma Madle Suite

· Opening Day and Ongoing Projects

Yesterday morning, Sam continued the task of refinishing one of the B&B's antique breakfast tables. His completed new gate was victoriously checked off his (never-ending) to-do list. He also raked leaves...to keep his weight down while waiting for me to finish our long shopping list.

Then we spent the remainder of the day in Rapid City. We became very hungry just as we were nearing a new Mexican Restaurant, South of the Border—Excellent food, attentive service...and we recommend it!

This morning, our guests have enjoyed their breakfast and French Vanilla Cappuccino. They are now out and about for the day. Shortly after they left, we opened Smiling Bear Antique Shop and Espresso Bar for the first time this season!

When these guests say good-bye to their Black Hills vacation, Sam will apply more finish to the newly constructed outside wall which compliments the CLP Suite. After a little more elbow grease on the new microwave shelf of the Bluma Madle Suite, shall we give him a 15-minute break? :-)

The RHUBARB is breaking ground fast, and beginning to unfurl...

· Construction Around the House

Mountains To Prairies Bed and Breakfast (Black Hills Home Cabins) - Sam is still applying finish to his newly sided outside wall (Chessie Lee's Peas Suite), process prolonged by snowfalls, excess cold or wind. In the meanwhile, he built an attractive microwave shelf as a topper for the short refrigerator in the Bluma Madle Suite. Plus he installed a gate to the backyard (for his use in maintenance tasks) on the privacy fence which is around the deck of the Prairie Homestead. Pics later. We just toted one of the antique breakfast tables to the deck for surface refinishing.

The RHUBARB which is planted along the boardwalk (leading to the Prairie Homestead) is just beginning to reach for sunshine, through traces of snow, pictured below. Does that not make you want to get out there and dirty your hands?

· Spring Weather Motivation

For several days Sam and I were hunkered down in Hill City,

gazing at pristine spring snowfalls through the windows,

protected by warm walls while the pretty white fluff

drifted lazily outside.

Evenings have been pleasantly cool, ideal for energizing walks.

The unpredictable spring weather has been perfect

for motivating us to the task of cleaning, pricing

and settling down the antiques purchased

on our recent buying trip through warmer states.

And Sam delved into a few indoor carpentry jobs (pic).

Our B&B guests are arriving earlier this year,

and we are happy for the variety of activities their presence creates.

Today, the snow is nearly melted already!

No coat needed.

Sam is in good spirits outside doing a bit of carpentry—

siding a section of exterior wall to match the covered porch,

and to further enhance the cabin-feel of the Chessie Lee's Peas Suite.

When completed, I will post another picture.

This link will take you to a slideshow of the interior of...CLP

(Though not pictured in the slideshow,

CLP now has a comfy loveseat!)

· Kids at B&B and Smiling Bear Antiques

The children of 5-night guests in the Bluma Madle Suite

considered the suite's Bear Den a daily

vacation destination!

The children enjoyed an education

involving certain antiques (awaiting prices)

which were scattered upon a table in the dining room.

One of the children, below, models a wire egg basket.

The other child is learning the safety features

of an antique grater, which help avoid grating fingers.

In the photo below, the children have discovered

a series of concrete bear tracks next to the porch,

arranged for skipping one to the other.

Goodbye wasn't so easy after all!