Sunday, December 6, 2009

It''s beginning to look a lot like Christmas...Phase 1





































I finally arranged the garland to hang above the outside windows and put up a few lawn ornaments just in time for our first snow fall of the year.

The tree is purchased and the extra greenery is outside waiting for me to arrange and place throughout the house. I hope to get the inside decorated during the next few days. It was so beautiful today outside with all the snow, I couldn't resist sledding with the kids instead of spending the day inside decorating. This year I have a new attitude and told myself not to get so caught up in all the hustle and bustle of the season. Things will get done when the get done.

I hope you are finding the time this busy Christmas season to just relax and enjoy! It really makes a difference on your attitude and appreciation of what the "true" meaning of Christmas is all about!

Cheers, T

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Thanksgiving Flowers, $3 for $12 at Safeway....





































After spending a small fortune for Thanksgiving groceries, I was very pleased Safeway offered beautiful fall flowers at a very reasonable price, $3 for $12. Not only were the flowers reasonable, but they can go a long way when it comes to decorating around the house.

I used some of the flowers to decorate a grapevine wreath for the front porch, put some flowers in three different vases and had some left over to fill little bowls which I will use when I set the table tomorrow for Thanksgiving dinner. I used a mixture of mums and berry leaves. I loved the punches of orange and green together, definitely my two favorite "new" colors ;-)

Happy Thanksgiving Everybody!

T

Monday, November 23, 2009

Great getaway weekend, now it's time to think about the Holidays!




















I spent some quality time with the hubby this weekend in Middleburg, Va. and stayed at an adorable little Bed and Breakfast, The Red Fox Inn. They're not kidding when they say Middleburg is known as "Horse Country". We were even greeted at one of the Winery's by some beautiful horses during our wine tasting.
Now it is time to start getting ready for the Holiday Season and Holiday Decor. With a blink of an eye, the Holiday's will be over. I hope to get a head start this weekend with decorating and Christmas shopping. What about you?
T

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Last minute pumpkin carving...











The green pumpkins which I love for their color are very hard to cut, so my daughter just drew on the pumpkin instead.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

"Spooky" decor...

This is our chalk board wall in the kitchen. My daughter helps me keep it up to date with upcoming events and info we need to keep track of. Love her drawings too!
























































Halloween isn't my favorite Holiday, but I know it's fun for the kids to have a few scary items around the house. I just don't like having a lot of "stuff" that I have to store season to season so I usually use natural or inexpensive decorations. This year I decided to decorate with "Spooky" items I found at the dollar store. Not only did the dollar store provide decor to fit my budget...but the skeleton and bones theme blended well with my decor. Isn't that what it is all about anyway ;)

So tell me, are you a "spooky" household or a "harvest" household when it comes to your fall decor?

Hope you have a "Spooky" Halloween Season!
T

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Can you tell from my decor I want to live at the beach?...





































I am not ready to change out my summer shells for fall decor, are you?

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Where has the summer gone?

Pool side reading while being lifeguard...tough life...







View before landing in Mexico...




Arrival at the Barcelo Maya...cheers!

Our view from the hotel upon arrival....










Mayan Ruins....the real Mayan name is "Zamma"




Long set of stairs to climb down to swim at "Zamma" aka Tulum....














Mayan Ruins....



Poolside....


Meagan and Michael meeting our dolphin "Chuck" Such an amazing adventure....














Me doing a belly ride with "Chuck" So cool...














Dolphins showing off for us....



How is your summer going? We are having an outstanding summer this year. Needless to say, we have been so busy I haven't had the chance to write a new post since summer began.
Today the kids are in camp and I finally have a day to myself. For the inquiring minds who wanted to know, I am going to take this time to update you where I have been and what I have been up to this summer.

After school was over in June, we traveled to Riviera Maya, Mexico. We stayed at the Barcelo Maya Palace right on the beach and the view was amazing. We visited the Mayan Ruins, swam with dolphins and enjoyed fun filled days on the beautiful beach and pools.

July, it was off to visit the grandparents in Delaware. As much as we love the Eastern Shore, it was an adjustment after we were spoiled from spending a week in the Caribbean. Then it was back home to host some out of town quest. First, a very dear friend who used to be our neighbor across the street with her two boys. Our kids have been friends since our oldest were 18 months old. The boys are now 10 years old and our youngest kids are 8 years old (Moo will be 8 in Nov.) It is so nice to see the kids grow up together even though we may only see each other once or twice a year, they always pick back up where they left off. The next guest was my sister and her two daughters, and two dogs. They currently live in NC and it saddens me that they do not live closer. It was so nice to have them here for a few days. The kids had tons of fun in the pool and I was able to take my sister to one of my favorite places for a hike - Sugarloaf Mountain. Of course the day would not have been complete without taking my sister to the Sugarloaf Winery which is so conveniently located up the street from the Mountain ;) Then it was back to the beach for my 14th annual "girls" weekend. I treasure the fact that I have a great group of "girl friends" to spend "girl" time with every year. It is sad to say however, we are finally growing up and plan on doing something more "adult" like next year. We have held onto our tradition of fun in the sun for 14 years going to the Eastern Shore in Ocean City, Maryland. However, sun and fun all day is great, but it is time for us to move on.

August has really come in strong for us. The kids started a two week camp on the 3rd. The camp they are going to features horse back riding, zip lining, rock wall climbing, swimming, crafts, and more. The best part is the camp is located on a horse farm - mountain side. They get to play and fish near the river and just enjoy good outdoor fun. They are exhausted when they come home. I never used to send the kids to camp but I am so glad I did this year. Camp forces them to try new things and meet new friends. Also, it helps prepare us for the dreaded "morning routine" that's approaching real soon - School starts August 31st.

We are going to finish the summer off with some more fun activities, a visit from some very dear friends for a few days then back to the beach for one last get away before school starts.

I did manage to get a few staging and redesign jobs in this summer but plan on more this fall. So make sure you check back this fall for an updated website and some updated before and after photo's of some of my redesign work.

Honestly, although I love working and re-designing homes, I will miss being "Camp Counselor" with the kids. I am very blessed to be able to spend so much time with them. (Now I just need to remember that when I get frustrated with them ;)

Hope you are having a fantastic summer too!

Cheers,
T












Saturday, June 13, 2009

A great day at "Great Seneca State Park"














































We had a wonderful day fishing, kayaking and just spending quality time together. Life is good!


More backyard pictures tomorrow...


Cheers,


















T

Monday, June 1, 2009

Backyard reveal almost ready...







I have a few finishing touches to the backyard and the reveal should be this week...






Cheers,






T

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Backyard Power....























I took full advantage of the Sun today and brought out the POWER washer today...man can I go crazy with that thing. I need to power wash all the furniture and the deck so I can put a shiny new coat of chocolate brown paint on everything.






We would love to replace the deck with concrete to blend in with the rest of the concrete around the pool and install a new fence for the yard but that is just not in the bank this year. So, I thought I would disguise all the ugliness and freshen up the backyard using the pillows I purchased last year as my design inspiration.


You can't tell in the picture but the pillows have chocolate brown in them. I am going to paint the wrought iron furniture and the deck a chocolate brown and use the other fun colors on the bar/food stand my husband built 11 years ago as well as the cart I rescued from the side of the road. A fresh coat of paint and I'll have a new drink cart.


Now, if only that sun stays out so I can get busy painting.





Cheers!





T