Indoor To Do List

Dusty summer mantel and  full shelves

A cluttered entry way.

A disheveled office.

 Disorganized bedside stands. 

Thankfully the bed pillows are clean and effortless.

Windows need cleaning to shine up the view outside.

Outdoors, our lovely weeping willow tree.

And a hidden creek.

Back inside, my overladen dressing table--too many bottles.

Dusty shelves and a sweet baby chair.

I wonder if the bluebirds need to do as much housekeeping as me?

Master Bathroom --Before and After (and a peek outside)

This is the master bathroom AFTER. The tub is a wonderful vintage clawfoot, but I have no idea how old it is. It came with the house. The sink is a nice Kohler reproduction. The beadboard is all new, with nice square moldings on the top edge, the baseboards and the ceiling.
The yellow stand at the side of the sink is a recycle, painted by yours truly. The painting above it is of a whale in Maui, painted by a friend of mine. 

 

 AFTER: This is a peek into the powder room, and I apologize for leaving the lid up. To the right of the green towel is the shower.

AFTER: This gives a better view of both the powder room and the shower area. It's a nice large bathroom, with lots of maneuver space.

BEFORE: This is how it looked when we bought the house. Bare basics, stripped down and raw. 

 BEFORE: This closet had wobbly doors, which we removed. We decided to leave it as open storage--easy to access, and very nice when you don't have a vanity cabinet. 

AFTER: Now it looks like this. Much more personality, but still farmhouse simple. 

AFTER: Blinds on the windows allow natural light to flood the room.

AFTER: Here you can see the new storage area with the door trim redone to look like it was meant to be this way.

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And now, let us step outside to catch some more tulips before they are gone. 

Our well looks so country gorgeous. 

Tulips are so happy. Straight, tall, optimistic. 

Beyond, you can see our junky Coke machine by the barn. It's also in bloom. 

I love spring. Every day brings something new to see.

By the front walkway, the daffodils have had their turn and  are on their way out...but they are still beautiful. Hope your Spring is as lovely as mine. 

Ready for the New Year

I love Christmas decor, but am always relieved to take it all down and pack it away for another year. My living room looks like it's had a haircut.

The mantel is pared down again. All of the layers and greens are gone. 

It is less cluttered. Just waiting for some creativity to be applied.

For now, this gift is going up there: a picture made of slatted wood.

The reds get put away, the blues come out again.

I love the window wall in this room. Even on a rainy day like today, it lets a lot of light in. I am content to sit and take in all the changing lights and shadows on the walls. 

I can see the forest and the trees, and the rain on the pond.
I am ready for a new year and all the new things it holds. 

Colorful Christmas

The front doors got their new fresh wreaths, and they smell so good.

Inside the entry, the doorways are draped in evergreen garlands. 

The foyer table has our very old Father Christmas on it.  I tend to prefer this vintage fellow to the Santa in the red suit. 

The kitchen window with greenery and stars and a Merry Christmas sign buried under it.  My dried roses from summer are tucked here and there. 

The kitchen goose is pulling a sled with a cardinal. We love cardinals. 

Greenery is framing all the doorways. This picture is showing the afternoon sun, but  it gives a nice view of my wooden ceiling in the kitchen. 

My mantel keeps evolving. I just keep throwing things up there as I find them. 

I found this little chair on the hearth at a thrift shop for $6 in the Spring. 

I found the stockings in Maui, when we first became empty nesters.  They suit us to a tee, or so my children say.

In winter, I change the blue sofa pillows to red ones. They look more Christmas-y and these lodge-style pillows add to the general coziness. 

A close-up on my little chair to highlight the chipped and fading paint. I tend to like imperfect chippy things.  

The plaid candles are new, from Target. I love 'em.  Just love plaid.

This heart is new, too. It has a story. It is a piece of roofing from a house destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Some of the proceeds from the purchase of this collection go to a fund for hurricane victims.

This is mine. Notice the fish tassel on her hat. 

This is husband's. Notice the doggy bone tassel on his hat.  

Some of the ornaments from our tree. A hodge-podge collection from 39 Christmases.

Our tree is 9' tall and slender. That was a mistake originally, but now I like it. It's well-behaved and stays in a corner and doesn't require me to move furniture to find it a spot. 

It represents decades of memories and decorating it is always a quick pathway to memory lane.

 The table gets more natural yule time trappings--twigs and cones and leaves and sprigs of holly berries.

The children put together this village each year,  just so they can pretend they are little and live in it in their imaginations. 

Looking down the village street.

Above, the view toward the fireplace; below, the view toward the foyer and kitchen. 

Deck the halls with boughs of holly. Fa-la-la.

 Welcome to our farmhouse Christmas. Wishing you a comfy cozy, stress-free and joy-filled holiday.