On to the Dining Room

 It has been so long since I posted a spring tour blog that I actually had to go back through all of the previous blogs to see exactly where we are. I think I've shown you the porch, living room and kitchen so today we will move into the dining room.

I showed you this on a sneak peek. It is so unlike anything that I would normally do that I'm having trouble deciding if I like it or not. For whatever reason, I seem to always have trouble decorating these shelves. Before the shelves were added it was just a large, open niche-which is what I thought I wanted when we had this wall done but even with a mirror and lamp, I had trouble here and I just knew that shelves would be the answer. Now the shelves are here and I still have no answers. Maybe I should just have some more doors made and close the whole thing up. Lol

I bought that basket under the shelf. I think it needed something to fill that large space. I'm OK with it being empty right now because the lavender plant is next to it but once that goes, if I don't have anything else to put there, the plan will probably be to either drape a throw over the edge of the basket or maybe throw in some pillows or even some greenery...we shall see. The other thing it does is to cover the cord and outlet that is smack dab in the middle of that area and is just so unsightly!

So that is it for the dining room this year. It has a number of changes but they may not all make the cut for next year. Lol Stay safe and stay tuned.

It's Nice to be Queen!

 What a beautiful Mother's Day weekend my three girls crafted for me! Daughter #2 had some work obligations so she couldn't join us on Saturday but she came down on Sunday so I actually got to celebrate with all three of my girls and a few grands. Harrison had just arrived home for a short break from college before heading back to the Academy for his summer assignment so I got to be with him and Olivia, who is soon moving up to our area to attend law school at UF...we will have another Gator very soon!

In any case, Saturday started off with a Tea and Fashion Show at a beautiful old church in Ocala. We all brought our own teacups and shared stories of how we got them and why they were important to us. We also got to see lots of old friends. The event was attended by women and girls of all ages and it was wonderful to see all of the interactions along the way. We had a lovely woman and her ten year old daughter at our table and by the end of the event, we felt like old friends as well. The daughter was a hoot and had us all in stitches and her sense of humor when one woman literally won four raffle prizes and then three others at her table won a number more was right on point with others in my family. LOL

When the tea was over we headed a few blocks away into downtown and went to a new wine tasting venue called Barons Creek Vineyards. It is in the spot that was once Corkscrew where we had many fun times so we weren't sure how we would feel but it has been completely redone and is beautiful...and their wine was delicious! We were there for a bit when my brother and sister-in-law joined us.

When we were finished there we headed just another block over to Cantina TexMex where my son-in-law and grandson joined us for dinner.

I had lobster tacos-not as good as my lobster rolls in New England but yummy just the same.

We're all so happy to have this guy home even if it is just for a short visit. He and his brother ran by yesterday and it was just like old times having them drop in unannounced. And, he is going to come over one day during break and be my "muscle" as we tackle a few projects that I can't manage alone. Like I said, it's nice to have him home. Lol

After dinner we headed back to Jen's house for gifts and more visiting before those who were staying went back to my house for the night. We actually turned on the TV but before we decided what we might want to watch, we started talking and that was it for us! We talked until it was just about the next day and called it quits.

On Sunday morning, Becky was able to come down and she and Kris made a delicious brunch that we all enjoyed before it was time for everyone to return home once again.

Grand dog Bennett came along to join in the fun as well.

And, my girls know me so well-lots of my favorite flowers.

Now the house is quiet and I am back to routine-well, not quite as of late. We are finally having our first real rainy day in FOREVER! We were in an extreme drought condition so this rain is much welcomed and actually quite beautiful. It is not accompanied by any lightening or thunder-just a nice steady soft rain and everything in nature is already responding by turning bright green. And, I have an excuse to spend the day indoors and catch up on all sorts of things-like getting this post in the archives before I probably sit down later to watch a movie everyone was talking about this weekend.

And, I'm still kind of looking for some new 4th of July craft ideas. As I am writing this, this is what is just to my right:

There are the 4th crafts that I have showed you, some new 4th Luminara candles and a candle label that I made and affixed to a new Yankee Candle that I bought. I wanted a blue candle but they didn't have any with the holiday label like the red one from many years ago. I thought I would just pull the inappropriate label off when I realized that I could print my own image, run it through the permanent adhesive Xyron machine and attach it over the old label. I've got some rubberbands holding it just until the permanent becomes permanent.

In any case, seeing this stuff every day is getting me more and more anxious for my next swap and I'm ready to add some more new things as well if I get any ideas.

Of course, that also reminds me that I should probably finish up my spring tour so I will be back to do that soon. Until then, stay safe and stay tuned.

Zipping Along!

 I got a lot of my in-house chores done yesterday with a bit of the outside as well. I woke up this morning and hit the ground running. For whatever reason, I am in "cleaning" mode-not just what I want to get done for house guests this weekend-even though they are family, I like the guest rooms to have clean sheets, be vacuumed and dusted and smell good-but all sorts of other things that I am seeing along the way. Not sure there are enough hours in the week to get everything done but I seem to be trying. Lol

I actually just got all of the kitchen counters-which are tile with grout-sprayed with bleach and I'm giving them a few minutes to soak so I thought I would get out of there and in here to see how far I can get on a new post-how about the kitchen?

Finally getting a chance to display the towel I bought at the lavender farm when I was in Connecticut last autumn. It's so pretty and just looking at it reminds me of those beautiful scents that hit you the minute you opened the door into the gift shop. I imagine all of the fields will soon be full of blooms beautiful sights and fragrance as well. 

I like that the Brambley Hedge "spring" plate is in the carpenter's box...

...and its matching beaker is on the hanging shelf.

I have had one of these sets for each season for so many years and just last year it hit me to bring them back out as decor. And, I'm glad that I did because I can vividly remember all of the Barnie's Coffee Houses I had to go to to get the full set. This was way back in the days before online anything. I could call a store to see if they had what I was looking for but, if they did, it would necessitate a trip to said store to get it. I can so remember my last trip to complete the set was to the Florida Mall in south Orlando-a far piece to go but I was determined to get the set complete before they no longer carried it anywhere! I also remember that I had to go down alone because no one else could get free that day and that I drove home most of the way in torrential rain! Not a fun trip yet I was a happy camper none-the-less!

The hutch design had to change because, at first, I had borrowed the picture that used to hang here for the living room wall under the shelf. That truly activated a WHOLE color change and, by the time I found the new picture for that wall, to bring the old one back would have just taken too long and I would have had extra pieces that no longer had a home anywhere. And so it will stay at least for this year. It's a bit sparse but that is OK too. 

So that is it for the kitchen. I'm off to finish the counters and then I spied an A/C grate that could use a cleaning and then there's more vacuuming and then the rest of the leaves to be raked up along with all of the trimmings...well, you get the idea. I'm sure you do the same at your house. It's makes me tired thinking of it all but I really don't mind doing it. It keeps me busy and actually makes me happy no matter how exhausted I get. Oh the joys of home ownership! Lol

And, just a side note...how come when I am in my kitchen with a few other helpers it seems like there is never enough counter space yet when I am here having to scrub every square inch of it it feels like the counters will never end? LOL

Stay safe and stay tuned.

It Only Takes a Spark!

 As I used to teach my Sunday School and Bible School kids-"it only takes a spark to get a fire going. And soon all those around will warm up to its glowing". And that is what happened around here today. It all started with an early text message inviting me to a Mother's Day tea and fashion show next Saturday with daughters #1 and 3 and grand daughter #4...and hopefully my sister-in-law can join also. The invite includes a request to bring your favorite teacup and that was the first spark. You see, back in the day, I collected both bone china tea cups and teapots. I used to have a shelf that went around the top of my dining room where I kept them all displayed. I also brought them down for use every time I had a Brownie Mothers' meeting at my house or when our Jr. G.S. troop would have their Mothers' Day events and my cups and pots took center stage.

Of course, my taste has changed since then and the shelf is no longer there and my Brownies and Juniors have all grown up so my collection has found its way into a large Rubbermaid stored in the garage. Of course, this invitation precipitated a visit to that storage container to pull out all of the cups and see which one I wanted to use and which ones I would share with any family who was "cupless". Lol

Of course, my choice was actually in the house and it comes out every St. Patrick's Day. It is a sweet little lily of the valley cup that my dad bought for my mom. My mom also collected bone china cups and saucers and I guess that is where my love of them must have started. I also have very fond memories of my dad's garden in springtime and it is the only time in my life that I have ever seen lily-of-the valley flowers growing. They are so beautiful and almost don't look real. In any case, here is my choice:

And here are the others up for grabs:

And I don't know if that got me thinking "granny style" or what but I opened a drawer and spied a doily that my mom had crocheted and I grabbed it out and knew right where I wanted it.

And then that got me to thinking about another of my mom's doilies that I glittered up a la' Martha Stewart one year for gifts for the family. I use it often but if it doesn't get stored where I'll see it I sometimes forget to bring it out and, since I have started using a bit of a gold accent in the family room, I thought I could find a spot for it there...and I did.

I woke up to these little cuties yesterday:

These are rain lilies and usually only bloom when there is a shower in the horizon. It has been so DRY here that I got excited and held my breath all day...but not a drop. So, when they were still blooming today I didn't give them much credence but, sure enough, they came through and we had a nice bit of rain. Of course, nowhere near what we still need but it definitely helped and things "greened up" a bit.

The hydrangeas were really happy with the rain. The ones on the other side of the yard aren't feeling it just yet but these guys are coming around.

I also spied this beauty-a few weeks late but that's fine. Everything in the garden is struggling right now because of the lack of rain so I will take what I can get.

So that's it for today. I've got a busy week ahead...appointments and I think maybe some shopping for a new dress for the tea. Daughter #1 and grand daughter #4 and their pupper will be spending the night on Saturday and then on Sunday daughter #2 will be here to celebrate with me. She and her family are participating in a group competition on Saturday so they will miss the tea but I am blessed to get to see her and spend time with her on Sunday-not sure what we will do but it will be fun!

Before I forget-which is exactly what I did last night and I was out there much too late trying to take pictures-here is what the solar lights are looking like. I think I would like them a little "shorter" so I'm thinking of seeing if I can't jam them a bit further down into the dirt and, I'm not crazy about the light they are putting out. The box says "warm" light but these are reading as the "cool", blueish light to me and it's not my favorite. I'll see if they change as they have a chance to absorb more sunlight.

I hope to be back sometime soon with a bit more of our tour but until then, stay safe and stay tuned.

P.S. I can't believe what looking at these pictures reminds me: pressure clean drive and walkways, repaint fireplace smoke stack, get down some new mulch, fill ALL urns with flowers and so many other things that I just seem to overlook as I'm living with them but, as I'm enlarging pictures, the flaws just can't be hidden. LOL Not enough hours in the day!!

 

Ask and Ye Shall Receive!

 I don't think anyone actually asked but I thought I would tell you anyway. LOL When last I posted there were a few things I saw in my photos that I thought needed addressing...and so I did. I have not pulled out the pressure cleaner just yet so the brick walkway remains as it was but I did drag in the porch leaner to try to darken the letters. This kind of goes under the "no good deed goes unpunished" banner as the paint that I needed had thickened a lot and I guess I may have watered it down a bit too much. It would have been fine in most cases but since this sign is done on a rough sawn fence slat, the paint does tend to bleed down the grain in places. And so, after getting all of the letters repainted I then had to go back and try to touch up the "bleeds". And, of course, I no longer had the same color paint that I used on the sign so many years ago so I was back to my color matching. Since it was a Friday night and I was ready to call it a day, I did what I could and then just went with it. I definitely think the word shows up better so yay! Lol Of course now those flowers really clash with the sign...but, I digress! LOL

And then I got the solar lights put down. The recommended spacing is 4'-5' apart but, to span the distance I wanted, I had to space mine at 6' apart. And now I wait. Hopefully they will get enough sun today that I will have an idea of how they look tonight. If I love them, I think I can also buy these individually so I won't need to purchase a whole other set if I want to add a few more to have them closer together. And, if they don't do what I'm hoping for, I can always move them to the terraced garden by the pool. In fact, if I do like these a lot, I just might buy more for the back gardens as well. We shall see.

While I was out there I also started on my to-do list. I got some of the old lattice broken up and put out for garbage pick-up. I will just have to do a bit at a time unless I want to call and arrange a special pick-up. Since it is so hot out there, breaking up a little at a time is about all I can handle anyway so I am good.

And then as I was putting something away, I happened upon this image:

I think I printed it when I was just beginning to think about spring but then I found the bird image and ended up going that way instead. Since I had yet one more of my new favorite frames, I just framed it up. I had initially thought of putting it in the family room where there are some other pansies but the little hanging shelf in the kitchen looked a bit bare so this is where it landed:

I think both the frame and the image go perfectly with the "daintiness" of the Brambley Hedge spring teacup.

I'm off to grab some lunch and then I'm heading back outside to see if I can get anything more accomplished before the much needed "possible" showers come in. Stay safe and stay tuned.

 

Quick Visit

 I managed to get the pictures all taken yesterday but I didn't have time to edit them as we had big doings going on last night. They started with me going to meet my daughter at her new offices and having a chance for a nice catch-up visit on all of her recent travels and a glass of wine before her hubby joined us and we were off to the high school. Both of my youngest grandchildren were to be inducted into the National Honor Society. I am so proud of both of them because it truly is difficult to maintain a high GPA while also being so active in all of the other things they do-including VERY long sport seasons with lots of weekday travel. I'm never sure where they find the time to get it all done.

I am truly blessed to have been able to be at all seven of my grandchildren's inductions into NHS. And, I love that even though there might be minor changes in the form of the ceremonies amongst the different schools, the main focus of the induction is always the same focusing on the basic tenets of the society of scholarship, service, leadership and character...and there is always a candle ceremony. Thankfully, tonight's candle ceremony went off without a glitch-no candles snuffing out too soon and none catching something no fire as we have had in the past. Lol No inductees were injured in those mishaps. LOL

After the ceremony we headed to the kids' favorite restaurant for a lovely meal and a visit with half of Ocala-seems it is everyone else's favorite restaurant too. By the time all of the eating and visiting was done and I got home, I was done for the day. Lol

And, today I had to head out to run a few errands. Note to self-don't run errands on Friday any more-or maybe it's just because it is the first Frida? I don't know but the traffic was horrific and the stores were JAMMED! Hopefully I got everything I needed so I won't have to venture out again for a bit and I can finally tackle some of the things that have been on the list forever!!

Since it is too late to start any of that today-and it IS Fri-YAY, I thought I would get this quick post in and maybe I can show you the porch. Nothing new here-except the plants-which, as long as I remember to water them EVERY day, seem to be doing OK in our heat. We'll see how long that lasts.

I think I will keep that blue daze happy so when I switch to my 4th decor I can maybe just swap out the other two urns-one with red and one with white. Fingers crossed.

Also may have just added two new things to my to-do list after looking at these pictures !. Pressure clean that walkway and 2. Maybe paint the word "spring" a darker purple on the porch leaner. 

That's all I have for today. I'm off to read the instructions on some solar garden lights that I picked up today. I have been wanting to add them to some of my gardens for a long time so I thought I would start with one set and see how it goes. I'll let you know. Stay safe and stay tuned.