My Hang Ups

BEFORE:

This is how our foyer looked when we moved in. A whole lotta nothin' going on. Well, a bunch of trash on the floor was goin' on.

AFTER:

This is the same area now. On either side of the french doors are pictures of our native blue and white herons. Behind the closed french doors is the kitchen.

 

This is the view from the living room,  with the front doors to the right. The long hallway beyond is lined with a hook strip made of the same knotty pine that is on the floors. 

 The hooks extend all the way to the end of the hall. There are 24 of them all together. They are super-convenient and handy for everything that comes through the doors--keys, hats, scarves, jackets, bagpacks, etc... 

 A close-up of the hooks and the pine strip.  We got the hooks at Home Depot. They are usually loaded with stuff, but are trying to make a better impression today. 

This corner does a lot of extra work. There's a shoe basket under the natural pine bench, a glove basket on top of the bench, and tools, keys, and a sunglass box on the hooks. Stuff.  

A close-up of the native blue heron print. We love when these birds visit our pond for breakfast. 

This picture was taken after Christmas. The blue heron was almost three feet tall and loitered for about 20 minutes. Then he dove into the pond, ate something slithery, and flew away. 

The handles on the french doors are made of a section of branch, sanded and polished to the touch.  

The accessories on the chippy blue table change with the seasons. 

One more view looking toward the front doors. Au revoir. 

Powder Room Before and After

Before: Basically functional but totally unattractive. Notice there is a closet door directly across from the toilet. It was an electrical and storage closet which could only be entered through the powder room. Terrible layout!

This is how the room looked when we moved in. 

After:  The closet opening was walled in and a new entry to the closet was placed in the hallway. The bathroom mirror reveals the new wall with the artwork on it. We painted the walls this lovely robin's egg blue. 

 The oval mirror reflects the small cabinet that holds toilet paper and fresh towels.

The carpenter added large moldings to the ceiling and floor.

Here you can see both the top and bottom moldings. The picture with the big white wooden frame mirrors the moldings. 

This is the view from the "seated" position. This is the previous locale of  the awkward opening to the electrical closet. It has been closed off and a new doorway was moved to the hallway outside the bathroom where it always should have been! (Who thinks of these things??)

The farmhouse vanity and mirror, and the pine door in the reflection. I love this little powder room now. 

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.

Barn Thanksgiving in Three Acts

Act 1: Sweet Rachel baking sweet snickerdoodles in our cozy country kitchen. The turkey is already roasting in the oven. 

Sticky food fingers mean no wiping disorderly bangs out of eyes.

What's she looking at?

 I
I see. The handmade Thanksgiving sign.

 Rachel's friend,  Jon, a professional artist, kindly put it together for us.

Act 2: Move to the barn kitchen; Jon is preparing some delicious concoction out of apple brandy.

The dessert table is set with all of Rachel's goodies before all the pies arrive.  

The stage is set for relaxing;  outdoor furniture makes for cozy seating in the barn. The fall quilt is a gift from a friend.
This picture also provides a great view of the plywood and board wall that we installed to make the barn clean and warm. It is insulated underneath. 

The serving counter is waiting for its bounty of turkey, potatoes, stuffing, gravy, etc, etc, etc. We had three kinds--oven-roasted stuffed turkey, grilled injected turkey, and deep fried turkey. Yum.

There is a wreath over the serving counter, and beyond that a peek into the kitchen. We used portable work benches with wooden counters in our barn kitchen--and in between them a sink and stove. Lots of storage, very durable, easy to keep clean, no hiding places for critters.

Big long tables set for 18 of our dear family and friends.

Close-up on the table with decor from nature's bounty and little hay bales from Michael's.

Act 3: A group of very thankful people, my beautiful and beloved.


Thanksgiving is the purest holiday of them all.
Just gratitude, love, and good food.