LOVE

My friend, Tami, celebrates Love Week at her house. It's the week of Valentine's Day and she goes all out...food, decor, events etc. It's very lovely and almost inspires me to do something over here...almost...

We just don't roll that way over here...not even close! I sometimes remember to put out a little decor. Sometimes I make heart sugar cookies, by myself. My daughter abhors Valentine's Day! Thinks it's a scam, which it sort of is, and feels no need for it. It's her fiance's birthday and she loves that she can celebrate that instead of V day! My son could care less either way, except he notices if the sugar cookies aren't made! Hubby and I aren't big on it either. We'd rather go out on the 13th or 15th and not have to deal with the crowds! I'd rather get red paint than red roses! Generally we don't do much!

But I did put up a few things this year...mostly just have a lot of red and cream around...my normal decor, with a few added baubles!

My chalkboard skills don't compare to hubby's, but it is what it is!

Not a Valentine in sight, but it's red!

I have a couple of quilts that I bring out for Heart Day and am working on another one right now...I'm sure it won't be done in time! And if it's not done, I'll probably put it away til next year and not get it finished then either! I'm come to accept this about myself. I don't like it, but I accept it!

Can't go wrong with scrabble tiles...

Add a nice little collection of vintage, heart cookie cutters, and lots of red and cream~

 And don't forget the after Christmas score on some red and silver mercury glass/looking ornaments!

That's about it over here! I will probably watch the movie "Valentine's Day", but I watch that quite often anyway!!

What about you? How do you celebrate...or do you??

A Little Fall Tour~

Fall has finally arrived. My very most favorite season of all! I love the beautiful days, and the crisp cool nights. I love unpacking all of my fall sweaters and boots, being able to dress a little more cozily. It's time for pumpkin spice lattes, fall candles and soup simmering, all day, on the stove. It's the first fire of the season, shorter days and an extra quilt on the bed. It's a time to slow down and read a book, or stitch a little. A time for visiting with friends and a trip to the pumpkin patch.
And rain...my long lost friend. Welcome back, dear friend!

So today, I invite you in to my cozy home. My haven. My cozy respite in a busy world!

I painted my front door last month and think it looks a lot more inviting. I figure the green goes with everything, and every season...just not the 4th of July! All the pumpkins, save one, are from my garden. I get a little carried away at Costco when the mums come out! After they're done, I plant them in the yard and enjoy them year after year!

 

My pots have done really well this year, so I'm keeping them out!

A little chalkboard love!

My buffet in the entry. Got the copper pumpkins at Bellewood Acres.

Love the old typewriter...thinking I need a tall, skinny lamp in the corner!

My sofa table. I got the bowl of ornaments at Grandiflora last year and the big acorns at TJ Maxx last week. I LOVE those!!!!

Nice to have a little sparkle!

A little side table...

And a picnic basket waiting for a picnic!

The fireplace didn't change much. I love the big baking pans, jugs and suitcases, so I just added a little fall to what was already there.

I made this little family years ago, and they still put a smile on my face! I got the mercury glass pumpkins at Kohls this year.

Little orange pumpkin from Folktales.

My little bench with an old truck of my hubby's, and a scarecrow that I made years ago.

I really don't do much Halloween, but I still have a fondness for this cute, little witch! Also, the sweater pumpkin I won from Homeward Found. I adore this pumpkin!! (Thanks Deb!)

On my birthday last month, my friend Lynda took me on a lunch,shopping date and I found this adorable, orange cracker tin. Perfect color and rustic-ness! Filled with autumnal books.

The buffet in the kitchen...

My dough bowl from the Farm Chicks show...

Filled with the bounty of the garden and a little vine.

The fun, little shelf near the pantry with my favorite chalkboard...Soup of the Day!

And the hutch...still need to put lights in there somehow!

I didn't really decorate anywhere else this year...just the main living areas. Much faster and just the right amount I think!

Did a little on the back porch, because I had these delectable pumpkins  and squash from the garden!

I had fun growing the unusual pumpkins this year! My jacks (all three) are still dark green, with little chance of turning orange. I'll be buying those I guess!!

And another beautiful mum....those oranges and yellows make me smile!

Nature is at it's very best right now and I'm enjoying every minute of it! Baking, pumpkin farms, shorter days and cooler nights. And the rain...how I've missed it! Welcome back my friend!

The Rest of the Weekend...

A little continuation of the weekend...Sunday Bliss!!

The weather here is finally BEAUTIFUL! Sunny, not too hot, but hot enough and a great breeze out here at our place.

After church on Sunday we thought it would be nice to be around water somewhere...Lake Whatcom? Bellingham Bay? Semiahmoo? Whiterock?  Just didn't have it in us to go home, pack up, drive around and be surrounded by people. So.....we went to our own "beach"!!!

Brian raked the beach, set up the chairs and umbrella and blew up the floatie toys!

I packed a picnic lunch and drinks, set up the iPod speakers, gathered some books and magazines and walked the 50 feet to the pond!

When we first moved here, 8 years ago, you could hardly see the pond. Covered in blackberries, we set to work on clearing things out.

The neighbor's section was pretty...

But ours was a mess!

 Cleared one side the first year and then worked on the back.

The kids would swim on the neighbor's side, but you couldn't even access it on our side!

 

There was a lot of pond weed...not fun to swim in!!! After some research, we were able to get some grass carp for the pond. They've been in almost three summers and this was the year they were hungry!!! We started with five, but only have three now. There is hardly any junk in the pond at all!!!

It's so beautiful now!!

We added a little beach...

 And that is where we spent the day. It was WOnderFul!!! We ate, read, floated, swam, listened to music and had a few cat naps!!! No driving, parking, hauling, searching for a spot....and nice clean bathrooms just a few yards away!!

We're loving our "new found" get away!!!!

In fact, I'm headed out there now!!! I have a few things I need to catch up on!!

Enjoy the sunshine!

We like to change things up!

We just can't leave things alone around here....always coming up with something new. I like to come up with a plan, present it to Brian and wait for him to agree with me!!!! This time it only took a year or two!!!

We have a small, about 9 x 11 room upstairs that we really didn't use for anything. Small window, no closet. We used it to hold bookshelves, a filing cabinet and an old desk. We would retrieve things from there, but never actually use the room! Oh, and it had a little jut out where the old fireplace pipe went up through the wall. We put a bed in there during Christmas for guests so it was a little crowed!

 Funky little wall and teen, tiny window!

The guy who makes my vision a reality!

He decided to tackle this while I had my leg in a cast, so I was NO help what-so-ever!

The ugly, green carpeting that I am slowly, but surely replacing!

Carpet gone!

 Funky wall and pipe gone!

Window doubled in size! Look at the difference in the view!  I have to hand it to Brian for doing this all himself! He cut it out, put in the header and replaced the window. I just shouted encouragement from downstairs! He also did all the wallboard, mudding and spackling, wiring and trim work. I painted the green, but he spayed the room and all the trim. He's quite nice to have around! I miss him!

I LOVE having the bigger window! It makes such a difference! You don't have to walk right up to the window to see out....much, much better!

I was able to help a bit with the wood floor. Picking pieces and laying them out, but again, Brian did most of the work!

I've had the color picked out for a couple of years, just waiting to use it somewhere! It's kind of a granny smith green.

We had two old, oak bookshelves that fit the wall pretty well. Brian took all the facing off and then worked at raising them up and trimming them out.

 

 Here's what they looked like after, with some primer on them.

We liked the board and batten that we did before in Ashleigh's room that we decided to do it again. I use the term "we" loosely!!

The finished product!!!


Filled with books, magazines on the bottom shelves...need a label system..., photo boxes on the top and some fun goodies to fill it out!

A cute little desk, stolen from my daughter's room!

And a new filing cabinet from Home Decorators. 

 

I've added some pictures and a few other things, but this is pretty much it!

A big improvement and a room that we actually use now, even if it is just to sit in and admire the view!!!