The Sweetest Signs of Spring

Flipping the calendar to March was a real mood elevator.

The colorful flowers and the mama bird with her nest of eggs offers hope for the beauty of the upcoming Spring season.  The card attached to the calendar was made by my sister.  I think it pairs so nicely with the calendar.  Together they are a real bright spot in the kitchen right now.

In my last post we were anticipating a snowstorm.

It came and dumped nearly a foot of snow.  The most we've seen at one time since moving to North Carolina more than twenty years ago.

It was pretty, but overstayed it's welcome in my opinion.  

It seems like I am reminded almost daily about how much our lives have changed.  Realizing that I was to be the one totally responsible for removing all of that snow from the driveway was a bit daunting.

Usually our snow melts so soon after it falls that it rarely requires shoveling.  This was different.  The week before we had an ice/sleet storm.  The remnants of that were still hanging around on our shady side of the street.

Snow is so rare that I didn't even own a pair of winter boots, so I put on my gardening boots, grabbed the snow shovel and went to town.

I learned a few things along the way...

I'm a lot older than I was the last time I shoveled snow.

I needed to own snow boots even if they rarely get worn.

I have taken care of that which will probably ensure that we will have no more snowfall until they are totally out of style.

Anyhow, once the snow and ice finally disappeared, I put those spring bulbs (above) into my grocery cart.

I planted them right outside the window.

I make sure to glance at them several times a day.

A small investment with big returns.

As someone who tries to look on the bright side of things, it has been a challenge lately.  Watching my husband deal with ALS is just plain SAD.  There is no getting around that.  

In trying to keep looking on the bright side, I am vowing to spend more time working on my gardens.

Most of our time is spent at home now.  Even though I am happy@home, I find I am going a bit stir crazy at times.  Those are the times I head outside.  Gardening has always felt like therapy to me.  At this time of year I always envision beautiful bouquets of flowers and a healthy harvest of blueberries.  My current efforts have been in trimming the hydrangeas and fertilizing them along with the blueberry bushes.  

The bunny in the pot is happy to see the chives and oregano coming to life once again.

The earliest signs of Spring are making their way into the house too.

A little vignette to gaze upon while washing the dishes.

I would like to say thank you for your kind words and prayers on my last post.  It means so much and makes this journey a little easier to bear.

💕

First Fall Touches

Well, Hello There ...

Didn't mean to be away so long.

I've been having problems with being able to upload photos to my blog.  Since I'm not fond of blog posts with no photos, this was beyond frustrating.  My tech skills are very limited.  I tried my usual methods ( restart, turn off, unplug, etc.) to no avail.  Since I wasn't even sure what the problem was, I wasn't sure how to even "google it".  Today I made a stab at it and am feeling quite happy with myself that I somehow made it work.  Not sure if I just got lucky or what, but it's good to be back to it.

The weather here has been delightful.

The cooler temperatures and shorter days have inspired me to clip some hydrangeas for fall decor.

I rounded up several vases and filled them with some of my clippings.  Once the water evaporates, they should be dried and ready for adding to the various baskets and pitchers around my home.

While rounding up the vases, I went through my collection and sent most of them to new homes at the local thrift shops.  Lately I have been in the mood to declutter anything and everything around here.

Since retiring, I am looking at things with a fresh perspective and trying to organize our home (and garage) to align better with this new phase of life.

These limelight hydrangeas were picked a few weeks ago and have dried nicely.  I love how they pair well with my collection of brown transferware dishes.

Starting to sneak a few fall touches into the built ins.

While the calendar is still showing summer, the weather is hinting at fall which always puts me in the mood for nesting.

🍁🍂🍁

My Happy Holiday Home Tour

Hello and Welcome to my happy home

all dressed up for the holidays.

Last night when I was taking these pictures, a gentle rain was falling.

Our holiday lights combined with those of our neighbors made the gloomy evening much brighter and cheerier.

Welcome in.

Feel free to hang your coat.

I've got my hat & scarf parked here with high hopes that we will see at least one snowfall this winter.  Fingers crossed.

Could I interest you in a cup of hot chocolate?

The foyer table is dressed up for the holiday season.

It will come as no surprise that shades of blue feature prominently throughout my home.

Across from the foyer table is the living room.

The tree in here features my parents collection of ornaments.

This is where I start my day with the tree lights on, a warm cup of coffee and often a cozy Christmas book to peruse.

Just past the living room is the large island that is kind of a central point in the house.  In the fall I purchased this large wooden tray and enjoyed decorating it with pumpkins and gourds.

Here it is all spiffed up for Christmas.

In the background you can see the kitchen.

You've seen it before, but I'll take you in to see a few little vignettes.

This wooden tray was found at the thrift shop.

I added a bit of vintage whimsy and tucked it into the corner where it brings back memories of childhood Christmases.

While doing the dishes, this is the view.

Christmas cards seem to dwindle more each year.

I do appreciate those that I still receive and enjoy seeing them and being reminded of the special people who sent them.

Just past the kitchen is the dining table and hutch.

Everything on the table was thrifted, including the table runner which looked brand new and couldn't be more perfect for the color scheme I was working with.

Finally we make it to the family room.

Christmas music is playing and the fire is lit.

The presents are wrapped and soon it will be time to gather together and make new memories.

Thank you for visiting today.

As you leave through the garage door, my whimsical snow couple and I would like to wish you

A Very Merry Christmas

and

All Good Things in The New Year!

Hello October

Hello and Happy October to you!

Although I am listening to the air conditioner humming away outside the window, I know that it won't be long until it won't be necessary to run it anymore.  I look forward to those crisp autumn days.  Have they found their way to you yet?

On this first day of October, I found it a temporary distraction to spread a touch of fall decor around the house.  That would be a distraction from the news stories covering the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.  As you are probably aware, the western mountains of North Carolina were hit particularly hard.  Through the years, Brett & I have visited the area several times.  Fall was often a time we would schedule a short getaway into one of the small towns in the mountains.  The scenery was beautiful and we enjoyed exploring the apple orchards and little pottery studios and art galleries along the way.  

These past few days we have both been comparing videos we watch (in disbelief) of the devastation.  It's hard to imagine the conditions so many people are dealing with right now.  Not just in North Carolina, but South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Virginia as well.

My heart goes out to everyone who has been impacted by this.

Adding a touch of fall to the kitchen counter.

I have been looking for something to put on the kitchen island that was proportionate to it's size.  I think this long dough bowl is the answer.  I filled it with fall items I already owned.  When Christmas rolls around I'll replace the gourds with greenery and maybe some candles.

A little spot by the window to enjoy those warm fall beverages.

🍁🍁🍂🍁🍁

Fabulous Find at the Thrift Store

It seemed a patriotic touch was in order for our Memorial Day weekend.  I took the spring wreath down and scrounged through the cupboards for a few things to bring that touch to the front entrance.  Those little flags come in handy for so many things.

The big flag was also hung and we called it good on the outdoor decorating.

Since we don't have any big plans for the long weekend, I did some leisurely putzing on the inside of the front door this morning.

In the foyer to be exact.

It all started with this chair.

Something about the blue and white topiary fabric was calling my name loudly at the thrift store yesterday.

It was in beautiful, clean condition (which isn't always the case at the thrift stores). It looked like it had just been upholstered.  I went through each of the rooms in my home wondering where I might have a place for it.  Nothing was immediately popping into my head.  Knowing I had to make a quick decision before somebody else grabbed it, I decided I just couldn't pass it up.  Especially when I saw the price tag.  Would you believe it was only six dollars and 99 cents?  I had to look twice to make sure I was seeing correctly.  

Next to my foyer table it will be a nice spot to put on one's shoes before heading out the door.  It will also come in handy when a spare chair is required as it matches the furniture in all of the other rooms.

This long foyer wall has needed something more to fill it better.

I just wasn't sure what was needed.  Sometimes the answers to these dilemmas come in unexpected ways.  I love when that happens.

***

Decorating for Easter and a Quick and Delicious Cake Recipe

Last week I was inspired to pull out the bunnies, colored eggs, chicks and tulips to set the stage for Spring's arrival (one week from today) and Easter at the very end of the month.

The cotton branches adorning the top of the hutch were a gift from a friend.  I once mentioned to her how amazed I was the first time I spotted cotton growing in a field along the country road I was driving on.  Not something one sees in my home state of Michigan.  The next time I saw her she presented me with a huge bundle of cotton from her brother's farm.  At Christmastime I put it up there thinking it looked a bit like snowballs.  Now I am letting it morph into cottontails for the Easter season.

See?

One little cotton ball that broke off has turned this bunny into Peter Cottontail.

Yesterday I had a guest coming for an impromptu dinner.

Wondering what I could come up with for a quick dessert, I remembered this recipe for King Arthur's Original Cake Pan Cake.

It goes together super quick with ingredients that I generally have on hand.  Perhaps this is one of the reasons that it is one of King Arthur's most requested recipes.

Wondering what else I had on hand to fancy it up a bit, I opted for a dollop of whipped cream and a fresh raspberry.  

Moist, chocolaty and they'll never know how easy it was.

Documenting October

October has been such a lovely month here this year.  One sunny day seems to follow the next bringing with it the highly anticipated autumn leaf color change.

It occurred to me this morning that I haven't done a single post to document the month.  By this time next week we'll be into November.

So, before the last few days slip away, a few notes to remember October...

I don't do much in the way of Halloween decorating, but this small display houses the pieces I have held onto through the years.  The little ghosts are Gurley candles that were from Brett's childhood.  The others were things I bought when my own boys were kids.  Looking at them brings happy memories.

The other day I went looking for a few hydrangeas to dry.

Most of them looked well past their prime.  I was pleasantly surprised to find a few on the backside of one plant.  They were at the bottom and pressed up against the house.  Once I wrangled them out of there, I was rewarded with four large blooms sporting pretty autumn colors.  They are now on display on the foyer table.

While I was out there I took a look at all of the plants.

Another nice surprise was a few raspberries ripening.

Somehow knowing that the frost will be coming anytime now makes these berries even more precious to me.  I will be watching them closely as they ripen in hopes of eating them before the birds find them.

When we brought the lemon tree back to the patio in April it had five green lemons on it.  They have only recently turned yellow.

Soon it will return to it's winter home in the garage.  This time it will have 8 green lemons and many blossoms.

The last of the furniture arrived this week.

It will be so nice to all be able to sit at the table for the holidays.

In celebration I made cauliflower ham soup and a batch of pumpkin muffins.  Brett and I gave it a test drive and declared it all good.

Ready to head into November and the holiday season.

 

The Nesting Season Has Arrived

Another Autumn season has arrived.

A season for warm drinks, soft throws, good books and . . .

nesting.  Plenty of feathering the nest to make things cozy for the cooler months ahead.

As the family room furniture continues to trickle in, it has been fun to come up with some new fall vignettes.

I have done away with a coffee table in favor of two ottomans.

I like the versatility of being able to prop our feet up on them or move them around for additional seating, if necessary.

With the days getting shorter, it was time to pull out the candles and put the batteries back into the battery operated candle lanterns.

So nice to warm up the evenings or the cloudy days, like today.

I enjoyed rearranging the hutch a bit.

I've ordered a new dining table that will better suit our needs in this house.  No more pulling odd chairs from here and there when the family is all here.  The table is supposed to be delivered in a couple weeks.  

While waiting for the table to be delivered, I've been playing around with how I will set it for the fall season.

I found the prettiest plates at the thrift shop recently.  It's hard to tell in the photo, but they have a bit of leaves, corn, gourds and acorns on the border.  Made by Pfaltzgraff and only 49 cents a piece was a deal that I couldn't pass up.  The glass turkey, pumpkin soup bowls and candle holder were also thrift finds from previous years.  To me the fun is pulling them together to make a coordinated, collected table scape.

Nesting at it's finest.

:-)

My nesting instincts often spill over to the thrift shop.

While there last week I overheard someone say that a tree had fallen over the road I needed to travel to get home.  It landed on a car and brought down the power lines with it.  Traffic would be stopped both ways for hours.  Oh dear!  To pass the time while waiting I went around filling the cart with fall themed treasures from the past.

These two yellow ware bowls with the brown bands weren't right for my house, but I will always love them.  I think they lend themselves to beautiful wood furniture, gourds, pumpkins and sunflowers.  All things that could be found there on that day.  I set up a little vignette and snapped a picture.  It satisfied my fall nesting interests while passing the time.  It still took me an hour and a half to get home.

Thankfully nobody was injured in the car that the tree landed on.

I have no idea why that tree fell as it was a lovely evening.

I rolled down the car windows, cranked up the radio and enjoyed the (long) ride home.  By the time I got home it was dark.  So nice to have the cozy candle light to greet me.

Happy Fall, Friends!

Fall Inspiration at the Furniture Store

Well, it's still HOT here.  The kind of heat that has worn out it's welcome as far as I'm concerned.  So, while I have nothing against summer, I am just yearning for the cooler temperatures to arrive.  I want to be enjoying the outdoors without melting.  

Yesterday we escaped the heat and spent a few hours in the air conditioned Hickory Furniture Mart.  One of my favorite stores to visit is an Amish made furniture shop.  The craftsmanship of the furniture is so impressive to me.  I also enjoyed how they had decorated for the fall season.  This large dining table with seating for 12 greeted us when we first walked in.  I could just picture each chair filled with family members enjoying Thanksgiving dinner together.  A fire would be crackling in the fireplace and, perhaps, the snow would be falling outside the windows.  Ha!  On a blistering hot day, one can dream.

I would love to curl up in this bed with a good book.

Unfortunately the scale of this furniture was too large for the guest room we are trying to furnish.

I'm not quite ready to decorate for fall.  I did, however, enjoy gathering inspiration for when the time comes.

Sitting by a campfire on a cool, crisp evening sounds heavenly right about now.

This display makes me anticipate fall baking and those delicious fall flavors.  Pumpkin Spice, Apple Everything, Cinnamon, Cloves & Nutmeg.

All of these pretty fall decorations are getting me in the mood to start adding a few touches to my own home.  This week our temperatures are forecast to drop into the 80s.  One day the high is only supposed to be 79.  Woo Hoo!!!  I think that might be all that's needed to start the decorating process.  I may begin with the hutch.  I like the simple way they decorated the one above.

I'm nowhere near being ready to see Halloween decorations here as they look out of place to me when it's full on summer outside.  When the leaves start to change and cooler temperatures are here to stay, that will be the time for jack o' lanterns.

I did have to laugh at this display in the Amish buggy.

While we didn't find furniture at the Amish shop, it was fun to wander through and be inspired.  

We did find what we were looking for in one of the other shops.  Awaiting furniture delivery will be a pleasant way to pass these late summer days.  My son has recently bought his first house.  We have donated some of our furniture to him.  I now feel right at home in his house :D.

Enjoy this last August weekend!