Moving Along

 I'm finding a few minutes today to take you through one more room on our St. Pat's 2025 tour because the next week is looking to be pretty full. It is filling up with more of the Southeastern Livestock Show events, more lacrosse games, family arriving in town, my grand dog sitting and then my birthday weekend. I suspect by the time all of that is over I will be feeling every bit of my newly advanced age!! Lol

Let's head into the kitchen.

I don't think I made too many changes in here this year. I did get some new shamrocks and, of course, the "real touch" tulips. I am really loving those things...fingers crossed HL gets some in in colors other than just the white and pink I already have so I can make some pretty Easter arrangements.

You can REALLY see the candle warmer that grand daughter #2 gave me for Christmas. I love that thing so much...especially that it is on a timer and that I can have the scents of my real candles without a real flame. 

I have had that little mouse forever! It's hard to tell but she is holding a small "quilled" paper shamrock. I got her from a friend many, many years ago but I haven't put her out for awhile. When I saw her sitting in the bottom of the Rubbermaid, I decided her time had come and here she is again.

Again, I have no idea why this shamrock print spoke so loudly to me, but it did and I absolutely love it! I smile every time I walk past this area.

And, something else making its first appearance is that pretty green Wedgewood teapot. That was given to me so many years ago by an older lady in our church who my husband used to help out a lot. She was so appreciative but he would never take any compensation from her so she would give me things that she thought I would like. I actually forgot all about this since I don't display all of my teapots any more but happened upon it when I was searching for some things to use in a new vignette in the dining room...you'll see that soon. In any case, I'm happy I found it and you might even see it back for Easter or spring. Lol

 And, once again, I have used this area for the dummy board wreath. I think you will probably see one here for every holiday that I have made one. As much as I like them hanging in front of a mirror in the living room, I just don't like the way the back is reflected. Even when I finished the back, it just doesn't look right so, until I come up with something better, you can look for one here.

 

That is the kitchen for this year but I thought I would share a little of what else has been happening around here the last few days.

FFA is quite the thing around here and my grandchildren's' school has a very active chapter. Last year grandson #2 tried his hand at raising a steer-as he did again this year-and it was such a positive experience for him that grand daughter #5 decided to give it a try this year with a lamb. It is quite a commitment as there is much care and tending needed and, the showing and sale is a bit bittersweet but we made it through.

My grandson has his showing tomorrow and then sale on Tuesday. This is still all pretty new to me but it truly teaches the kids so much responsibility-not even just in the care of the animals but in the finances involved and the tracking of growth and the presentation of the animal and just so much more. They really love it and so I have had to learn to love it too because I love them. Of course, I would be one happy Nana if I could purchase them all and keep them in my yard but that kind of goes against the rules so I have had to open my mind to new things.

Stay safe and stay tuned and I'll be back the next chance I get.

Green With Envy

 Decision made! I am changing my plans for the day and staying home again. I am so hoping to tie up all of the loose ends still hanging and driving me crazy. But, before we get to that, why don't we start our St. Pat's tour. Thought I'd better get a shot of the porch before the much colder temperatures that are predicted begin to arrive and I have to drag all of those plants inside. And, for once, I am glad I held off cutting everything back because tonight's temperatures would surely kill off some things if I had.

The only thing different here is that I hung the faux tile shamrock instead of the dummy board wreath...you'll see it on another day in another place.

This is still the most "pinned" photo that I have since another blogger featured it on her site and linked my blog. My grand daughters and I made them years ago to give to family as gifts for St. Pat's Day.

I'm not totally happy with the shelf just yet but it is what it is for now. And, I am really liking the picture that I bought at HL. I think it adds a bit of class and culture to my otherwise "cutesy" decor. LOL

I used a smaller dough bowl on the coffee table this year and it was so much easier to fill than my very large one.

This is where the new shamrock landed. The green glass jug from Walmart is here also. I'm still not sure about that yet either but, since it IS still February, I've got time to think. Lol

I think I added a lot more gold accents since I showed you this when I made it. I like it-gold just seems to go with St. Pat's Day.

So that is this year's living room for now. And, while I was doing this, this was happening in the bedroom...AGAIN!! But, I think I'm finally OK with it. I actually realized that a lot of the odd swish of colors I was looking at are in the original painting of the room. I'm not sure why they're reading as they are but, since all of that was going on, my paint match finally seems good enough. There are also a lot of shadows in that room that kind of make the paint look different each time I look at it. I think my "laboratory" will close for now and unless someone calls me on it, I am DONE! Now of course, I still have to address that cupboard and the small table in the sunroom but they will be for another day.

Tomorrow I'm off with daughter #3 to see my grand daughter show her lamb at this year's Southeastern Youth Fair. Then my grandson will be showing his steer on Monday and daughter #2 is coming down to go with me as daughter #3 will be off with my grand daughter at another out-of-town lacrosse game. Scheduling with these two very active kids gets tricky but, luckily, there seems to be enough of us to represent in all of the places. Lol

Not sure when I'll be back. Until then, stay safe and stay tuned.

Total Chaos Reigns!

 Total chaos around here today and I am LOVING every minute of it!! Today is the first day in many that I have been able to be home all day with no interruptions-at least so far-Lol- and I am in my happy place. It doesn't matter that I am STILL mixing paint to try to match the wall color or that I really have no idea where I want the extra furniture moved or that the rest of the Valentines stuff still needs to be put away or that the leaves are so plentiful that it's actually hard to open a door without them coming in so a good leaf blowing project is waiting or.....you get the picture. There is so much to do and I am loving doing it all!!

Now, back to that wall. We all know that I am nothing if not persistent once I make my mind up about something...and so it is with this wall. I wish I had a dime for each trip I have made back and forth between the bedroom and the kitchen where my "lab" is set up. Matching that paint has been a real thorn in my side. Every time I'm close I must add just one drop too many of whatever and off we go again! 

As I was just painting on the latest attempt, I noticed something on the walls in the rest of the room and then I remembered! The last time I redid this room, I was going for a sort of French boudoir theme to match the pictures hanging in the room. And then I remembered that I rubbed the walls with a white glaze after I had painted. That was one of the faux finishes so popular back then and it did give the walls a softer effect. Of course, I don't have any of that glaze left and even if I could still find some somewhere, I'm not going to buy a whole can of the stuff for such a small space-although by now my paint patches are almost from floor to ceiling-so, I am going to give the latest try a chance to cure a bit and then I think I will just water down some white paint and see if that will do it. I'll let you know. 

We have had lacrosse games the last two nights. Luckily, they have been home games and both teams did incredibly well and won their games.

Monday night the girls played Eastside from Gainesville and took a strong win. My grand daughter ended up with 6,7 or 8 goals of their 16 total. We were just so happy for the team because this is their first year that we actually lost count. Plus, we were busy chatting and moving to try to keep warm because it was COLD!

Presley does most of the draws (faceoffs for boys) and is getting pretty good at it.

Then last night saw us at the boys' game against Newberry-another good win! It wasn't quite as cold but it was windy-hence my hair in this picture! Lol

No games tonight for either and no errands for me so I am having fun piddling. Here is where the cabinet that came out of the bedroom has landed-at least for now. I will see how it works. Of course, that means I moved the little table that was there to the area in front of my desk. There is plenty of room there so I'm good with it and I can keep the things I need to grab to take out to the garden quite handy. But, of course, that white color will no longer work for me. And so, probably the next completely free day that I have, I will be painting it black.

And, this is almost unheard of in my house-a totally empty cupboard. My mind is exploding trying to decide what I can move into it to make things a little more organized for me...so many possibilities!!

It is now after 4pm and here is where I am. Every time I put the new paint on it looks perfect and then as it dries, it doesn't. I tried the white paint rub over and it didn't work so, as hard as it is for me to say, I am done for the day. Had plans for tomorrow but I think I will change them and stay home and try this again. And, I started fooling around with what I might want to do with the cupboard. That is another big QUESTION but at least I got all of the stuff off of the bed and into this cutie so grand daughter #4 will have a bed to sleep in when she gets here...actually, there are others but this is her favorite.

As I look at this room I realize that it has kind of become the depository for things that aren't needed during certain themes of decor. Maybe the things that look out of place here could go in that empty cupboard until I need them again. Hmmmm!??

I think the sun is supposed to be out tomorrow so, if I end up staying home, I will definitely start taking the St. Pat's decor pictures and we will begin our tour. Stay safe and stay tuned.