What Came Over Me??!

Must be spring fever. I really don't know what came over me! I'm blaming it all on Pinterest!  I have said many times before that I am not the world's best baker. Everyone knows I am not good at measuring. I am the first to admit that. That being said, when I do bake I think I try too hard. Since I am not much of a sweets person, I usually only bake when I am having someone over. But, I DO love pastries...and lemon...and so, when I saw this recipe (from thelovenerds.com blog) for lemon blueberry scones cross my Pinterest page, I put it in my file. And then, when I was shopping the other day, I grabbed up some fresh blueberries...and the rest, as they say, is history.

These were very easy to make. The cold butter was actually totally cut into the dough using the paddle attachment of my stand mixer and it worked PERFECTLY. So much easier than using a hand-held pastry cutter! This recipe made 8 pretty large scones. I tasted one and I'm glad I did. They're good but there are a few tweaks I will make the next time I make them-and I will make them again. They need a bit more lemon in the scone itself but the fresh lemon glaze is delicious! Never under estimate the value of fresh lemon juice and zest! Just need to know someone is coming to help me eat them or I will really be waddling soon!

Since I have already made my 4th of July craft for this year-and, there are NO others on the horizon that I am dying to do, I have actually found myself looking at Halloween ideas. Remember, I do like to get my Halloween craft and gift ideas done over the summer so I have more time to enjoy the holiday! I'll let you know where this crazy road leads! Stay tuned.

"The Devil's in the Details"

For all intent and purpose, the family room is done! This room, I think, more than most of my others truly epitomized "the devil is in the details". Believe it or not, the painting of the room kind of seemed like the least of it-kind of. It was still a BIG paint job and I was thrilled to have that done but as I went to put the room back together, lots of small details seemed to loom.

I know it seems silly but just getting the surround sound speakers moved and rewired was a triumph! I love my music...it gets me moving and I have missed having it "surround" me!

And then there was a spot just a little too "empty". I wasn't sure what it needed but then I realized it needed some "life". I like to try to have a live plant in every room. Sometimes the lack of natural light makes that challenging but I "shopped" my house and brought the plant stand from the dining room in. Then it was a "simple" matter of moving the entertainment unit a few inches and I loved the results.

Since my daughters moved around some of the furniture, I was missing side tables next to the chairs. I like to have a surface next to each sitting area so everyone has a spot to put down a drink or plate. I tried to use the same small tables that I had had in this room previously, but everyone's eye kept going back to one that just didn't look right. We all like the table-just not in this room any more. And so, I once again searched the house. I have a set of three nesting tables in the sunroom that come in handy when the kids want to eat on the couch while watching a movie but I was willing to give up the two smallest ones-except for the fact that they are green. And, believe it or not, that green just STOOD out like a sore thumb! And so started another one of those "devilish" projects. You all know that I am not very fond of preparation. I usually want to just get going. And that is what I planned to do again. I am not the biggest fan of wicker-which is what is on the top of these tables-so with a can of my favorite oil rubbed bronze paint in my hand, I was set to go...until, decorator daughter convinced me to leave the top alone. Apparently, wicker (and texture) are all the "thing" right now. And so, I took to one of my least favorite jobs-masking off the part that was supposed to stay unpainted. Yikes. Something that sounds so simple took forever!

 
It is hard to believe that this simple solution was all I needed to make me happy with these tables. And, I'm glad I left the top natural because the small, round table on the other side of the room has a wood top with metal legs and they totally complement each other!  And so, except for maybe a spot touch-up here or there, we are done and I love it so much. The room needed an update. It is now bright, light and airy and just what the "doctor ordered"!

Thought I would give you an update on Presley's castle project. We finished it on Thursday...which was no easy task! This child reminds me so much of her mother (daughter #3). She definitely has a mind of her own. For whatever reason, even though she no longer wanted to enter her castle in the "edible" category, she insisted on embellishing it with candy! And, she truly had her own thoughts of where said candy was to go. I wish I had taken a picture of the sides and back because that is where she got truly "creative" but, it was her project and supposed to be done by her, so we went with it. Just for clarification (because that phone picture is horrible), the candy you see is Neccos, candy dots, peanut butter logs and Juicy Fruit gum sticks...and lots of hot glue!!

Apparently she wasn't the only one who thought it was the greatest. She came home with this! I'm really so proud of her because this truly was HER project!

 And then I got to spend some time in Gainesville helping grand daughter #3 celebrate her 19th birthday! Always so much fun getting to have family time!!

 This week is the last award ceremony of the year. Time seems to go so fast these days. And then I think I've come up with my next project. Details soon. Stay tuned.

OK! Wow! Whew!!

I am so NOT complaining!!! You know I love a project. That being said...I truly never realized just how BIG our family room is until we started painting!!

The initial plan had been for the entire family to converge to start the family room update with a painting party. But, as sometimes happens (and especially because this was apparently planned some time ago when calendars were actually clear), life has other ideas. Grand daughter #4 had a mandatory IB volunteer project pop up so that put them coming in much later than expected and grand #1 had to work on Sunday so she and her sister had to move something they had planned for their mom to Saturday-so that had them not coming to my house until Sunday. Being the considerate mom that I am (wink, wink...and with fingers crossed they would say "no), I offered poor daughter #3 and her hubby an out as they were now the only ones here for most of the "party" but they were ready to forge ahead. And I was more than happy to join in...so, "forge" we did.

Remember the "before"

The process started with almost three hours of "paint swatching". We decided on a color called "classic gray". It is a Benjamin Moore color but my daughter prefers Sherwin Williams Cashmere paint so she gets it mixed there. This is, in my opinion, an expensive paint but oh so worth it! It goes on better than any paint I have ever used and dries quickly. Jen tells me that is why her painting contractors prefer this paint-they can get on two coats in one day with no worries!
 

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, this is a big room. I guess I never realized how big because I have always had it pretty full of furniture and "stuff". It still wouldn't have been quite the bear to paint that it was except for the fact that MUCH of the room is barn board. There was no way getting around the fact that the barn wood had to be painted with brushes-and would still need 2 coats! Plus, the barn wood has sides so instead of just a nice flat area, the were MANY edges, sides, crevices, etc. to contend with. I swear we were at this more than 5 hours before it even looked like we were making a dent! Jen started to panic when she saw that the spaces between the boards were much more visible now with the paint and thought for sure I would want it all caulked. But, I can still surprise everyone. I actually like that you can now tell that this is real barn board not reproduction stuff. It feels very "South Hampton" beach house to me. And, even though I really do not like coastal decor, I like the shabby-chicness of this! Maybe it feels more "farmhouse" to me. I don't know but we sure saved a bunch of time with that decision!

The last of the wood tone and I was starting to feel the new vibe.

I really, really wasn't sure how I would feel once all of our wood was painted. I have always loved the coziness of this room. But, for some reason, I just knew it was time for an update. I have always prided myself on the fact that we have kept our house updated ever since we bought it new 50 years ago. And, believe me, that is a LOT of updating! I have no problem with "original" but I always wonder about people on decorating shows who complain that they have lived somewhere for years and have always hated the color, hardware, lighting, etc. Do something about it! And so I knew that it was time! The room just started looking gloomy and dated.

I will say that now the ceiling looks even dingier and it probably could use a new coat of paint. That being said, may I remind you that that it the ceiling that I spackled with HAY mixed into the spackling! It was an idea from Lynette Jennings (one of TVs first home decorators many years ago). She did it on the walls but I knew I would be changing wall color a lot so I chose the ceiling. That combined with the wood gave the room an Irish pub kind of feel and I loved it. But, it will NOT be fun to paint so it is going at the end of a VERY long list of to-dos and if I live long enough....Lol

So here is where we are as we speak. I raised the window valance. Almost left it off but the sun is brutal as it sets on that side of the house and I only pull down the shade occasionally as I like to look out. The rug is gone and the kids surprised me with an 8X10 (the size my decorator daughters have insisted I needed all along. I guess the size of the rug is a big deal. I always chose the smaller size so I could center it without it going under any furniture much. I guess that's a design "faux pas"! Plus, a 5X7 is much less expensive!) sisal look but carpet feel rug. It is supposed to arrive on Wednesday. And then, even to my untrained eye, that rectangular, slate coffee table is not doing it any more. We are on the look out for a round table but this will have to suffice until I find "just the right one"-meaning one we all agree on. It may be a long summer. As I have said before, I trust their vision but I still have an opinion on things I really just don't like!

Here's the one I'm thinking of. It has the dark brown wood of the mantle and the dark metal of the other metal accents in the room. It is only 36" so some editing will be necessary when I'm doing my holiday decorating!

The other thing Jen did was pull the two chairs out from the corners. As much as she would like for one of them to have found a new home, she did have to admit that when I have any company or even just family, all of this seating is necessary. She also would like those two ottomans gone but for me, it is comfort over style in this case! So, nooo.  I would NEVER have thought of this arrangement in here although I do "float" furniture in other rooms. I love how it frees up that end of the room and makes it "walkable".  You probably can't tell from these pictures but we were now able to move the huge TV armoire-another bone of contention as they would like the TV on a smaller unit but because it also houses my CD changer, TiVo, surround sound, Blu-Ray player, tons of DVDs and candles and, of course, my many, many family pictures, this remains the best option-at least for now-down about a foot and it makes the room seem even larger!

I seriously love the clean, fresh feel of the room now. I am anxious to see how the rug anchors this space. We toyed with a lot of other ideas but, for now, I am thrilled with this. Mission accomplished!!

And then, on Sunday, everyone (except grand #1) was able to be here and we all headed out for lunch at one of my favorite, downtown restaurants. Trust me, my sons-in-law were there, they just won't stand still for pictures very often. lol

There is a little bit of "mopping up" that I want to do today but for the most part I'm done...until I'm not. I was beat last night but then I sat down in my chair and this is what I saw...my beautiful Mother's Day flowers and my beautiful gift of a new room. It perked me right up...but not quite far enough to get up and get the camera so you will have to squint through my grainy phone camera pix. Sorry.

And then, this morning I went outside between our FINALLY, very welcome raindrops to find my standard size gardenia bushes in full bloom. I only planted them as small, beginner bushes last year so I am thrilled. Lots of little chores to do today while we get some more expected rain so I am off. I'll be back when the rug arrives so you can give your opinion too. Stay tuned.

Quiet Morning

I hadn't been planning to do a post today, but things are quiet around here as I wait to hear some details on the plans for this weekend. I don't want to start any big projects so I went out to the gardens just to enjoy our morning temperatures before things get HOT around here today. The hydrangeas are all starting to bloom and the large hedge around the stone patio is particularly pretty. And, all of the gardenias are now in bloom-both the minis and the full size.

Of course, my first instinct was to grab the clippers and start cutting bouquets. But then the dilemma struck-yes, I know, all problems should be this "overwhelming"...but, I told you it was quiet around here and I was going stir crazy! Lol Should I cut them all and make HUGE bouquets for the house or leave them where they are? With all of the company (albeit, family) coming this weekend, I know that most of us will spend time out around the pool and these blooms really make the area gorgeous!! But, the inside likes to get its "pretty" on as well. So, I did what all moms preach to their children-I came up with an equitable compromise. I cut enough gardenias to fill a small vase and scent the house just enough and then I cut the hydrangeas that were sticking out too high or too low. In most cases, they were the smaller ones but I am OK with that.

I posted yesterday that I was going to pick my youngest grand daughter up from school because her mom and brother were on a field trip to St. Augustine and not due back until right before Harrison's guitar recital and her dad was "out in the field" for work. This is another of my arts and crafts kids-she loves it so I thought I would see what I could come up with for a simple gift for Mother's Day for all of the moms here this weekend. Once again, Pinterest to the rescue! I really didn't want to run to the store for supplies so I found just the right project that only used supplies I had on hand. And yes, I actually have a laminating machine. After so many years of crafting with kids, it just made sense to buy one and I can't tell you how often I use it. I also had these tassels in my scrapbooking supplies. Luckily, they were one of the few things that I did not sell at my garage sale or I would be posting about my "Murphy's Law" history of getting rid of things and needing them the next day...but, I digress!

Again, if this had been when I started "grand-motherhood" 22 years ago, I probably would have insisted on a clothing change as well as a hair style-or at least a barrette...and you can believe me when I say I did try the barrette thing and you see where it got me Lol This time, I let her be happy in an outfit that she had been in all day and played hard on the playground in but, I am 22 years into this and getting too tired to fight any more. Ha-ha. Besides, if this one was all gussied up, we might not even recognize her as Presley!

Thankfully she has finally reached the point where she will pose for me. Sometimes it still might take a bit of a bribe but not this time. She had fun. We took these:

She chose the one she liked best and we did a bit of correcting on the color, etc. and then printed them up. Then, all it took was cutting them out, running them through the laminator, cutting again and attaching a tassel and we got this:

They're really cute and since we are all readers, it is a kid generated gift that we will really use-I still use all of the bookmarks the kids made over the years-and we won't need to find wall or shelf space when we're all trying to de-clutter a bit. Win-win solution and simple and fun to boot.

Harrison's recital went fine although Mom, dad and Hudson literally walked in one minute before it started...one of those kind of days where you need to be in more than one place at a time. Forgive my phone camera picture...not the best but this is Har with his group. He did great considering he broke a string and didn't ask either mom or dad if they could run it to the music store (as well as first go by the band room and pick up the guitar) until the morning they were both walking out the door. Teenage boys!!! Remember, Jen and Hud had an early start to St. Augustine and dad (who is an engineer and has all sorts of road, bridge and sink hole issues to confront this month) was off to the field. Suffice it to say, he played with only four strings but, since this is a beginner group, I don't think anyone caught on...wink, wink!

So still no word on ETAs for this weekend so I am off to see what other trouble I can get into. Stay tuned.

50 Shades of Gray

You are not going to believe what I am about to say....I have a decorator-well, actually two decorators. I am letting someone else make some decisions on my decor! I know, I know. I don't believe it myself.

It all started a few weeks ago. My oldest and my youngest daughters are decorators-and quite good ones. Every post I see about a room or complete home they have done, I LOVE. Now I definitely have my own ideas and I know what I like and I don't like, but I was just mentioning to daughter #3 that I thought the family room could probably use a bit of an update and asked her to think about it. That was about as far as it went until I learned that she had arranged for the whole gang to come for Mother's Day weekend to re-do the family room. And, before that completely settled, Jen was at my door with literally 25-30 jars of paint samples. And, before that had time to process, color was being "swatched onto the walls, wood and fireplace!

In her defense, I did consent to FINALLY painting the wood. It is a long, sad story but long ago, I kind of got tired of the barn wood and decided to white wash it all. It was a tedious project and after looking at it for a few days, I couldn't stand it another minute and I proceeded to re-stain every bit of the wood. That being said, I think it was the white wash effect I didn't like so much. Now that we have tried out some color ( and yes, these are all colors - not white ), I think I will be fine!

This is what my family room has looked like ( at least the walls and wood. The fireplace has gone from used brick to white painted brick to what is now Venetian stucco) for a good number of years. I love the coziness of the wood but I just think it needs an update and short of bringing in a contractor and reconfiguring that horrible cabinet in the corner (which served a purpose when we did it. The circuit breaker box is behind the top part and our TV actually fit on the shelf so the furniture in the room was all turned in that direction) or an electrician to move cable and power boxes so the current TV could be mounted over the fireplace and we could once again have one focal point, paint is the obvious answer. At least budget wise.

We toyed with one color on the walls, another on the wood and maybe yet a third on the fireplace but we kept coming back to the idea of freshening the whole room up and that just seemed to scream LIGHT.

This is just a sampling of the swatches. The rest have already been painted over to give us larger spots to compare. I really was going to go with a dark putty color for the fireplace but in the end, my mirror and lanterns just kind of blended in. Not a good look. I think we may still use it on the door and in the back of the shelves.

I love decorating but I can't tell you how much I could never do this for a living. We were at it for almost 3 hours! The same paint looks totally different on each surface let alone where that surface is in the room. Each time we picked a "winner", it would appear orchid or pink or green in another area of the room. I finally convinced myself that if I went really light it would look like all of the beautiful homes in South Hampton that I see in the decorating magazines. Yep, that's right, just like that!! Lol

Believe it or not, this is only one color. The top on the left and on the left of the right side patches are the color. The bottom on the left and the rightest of the right side are that color at 150% intensity. But look how different they both look from the wall to the wood!

No matter what, it will be a change! And I have finally decided to be like those rich people who live in those beautiful homes. I am going to turn over control to my decorators! Well, at least a little. There will be some furniture moving and editing as well plus, I think, a new rug.I trust them. I think they have a vision...hope I see it at the end. I do know that no matter what I will have the most wonderful Mother's Day because my reasons for celebration will all be here with me-with the rest of the gang thrown in for good measure. And I'll bet we don't go hungry either! Lol Hope everyone has a wonderful Mother's Day and you can bet I'll be back with pictures soon. Stay tuned.

And Still They Come!

If you have not read my last two posts, I have been reminiscing about some of my all-time favorite DIYs that I have done over the many, many years that we have lived in our home - 45 to be exact. We bought this house as it was being built and I wish I had taken pictures. Back then we took pictures of people not rooms or food. Luckily, I can see backgrounds of old pictures that remind me too well what this house looked like when we bought it.

We lived right down the street and used to take walks up here every evening after dinner. One night we bumped into the contractor and a deal was struck for us to buy the house upon completion. The only problem was that he was building 3 houses on our circle for the parade of homes and he would not deviate on his plan for what he wanted to present to the public. Our house was supposed to be his rendition of "French Country" although I now know that is ludicrous!

In any case, we had a brand new 4 bedroom home and I was thrilled. Each of our girls had their own bedroom and I set out decorating - and re-decorating!!! Except for a ceiling or two, there is LITERALLY not one thing that remains the same about this house! If you looked at a before and after, you might not recognize it to be the same house! Oh look, I actually found these two sort of decent pictures so you might see what I am saying. We started here:

And ended here. If you look very carefully to the far left, you can see where the garage is now. Sorry but the sun is brutal out there right now and you know I'm not the most patient person. Lol

But, I digress. Not sure how I always end up down that "road" but anyone who has not known us for the last 45 years thinks I am exaggerating when I tell them about the differences! The list goes on forever: new windows, new driveways, garage now familyroom, fireplace added, new garage, new roof, hardwood floors in living areas, slate floors in sunroom, patio to screened porch to sunroom and office addition, pool, gazebo, brick sidewalks, new finish on house (brick on front-stucco on other 3 sides), kitchen reno, both bathrooms renovated, bay window added to the master bedroom, appliance changes several times, changed all plain interior doors to paneled doors and knobs to levers, color changes many, many times...and then all of the new wood finishes (crown, base, door and window trim) and the extra decorative touches!!! I have touched EVERY square inch of this house. It may not have all of the lovely new things that the new "McMansions" have, but it is home and I love it.

And so, I guess that is where I started this post -three posts ago. Lol I do have a few more favorites to share so let me get off of my soap box and move along!

My brother and sister-in-law are always good sports when I get a "bee in my bonnet" and know I'm going to do "it" but just need some help with the "heavy" lifting-and measuring!!

Another favorite that makes me smile every time I walk in one of these rooms is the addition of the wood moldings around the windows and doorway. I know this project can be done with beautiful trims...but, have you ever priced those trims? Not to mention the fact that it takes WAY more footage than you would ever dream. And so, with me being on a tight budget, Pinterest has helped me learn less expensive ways of getting the same effect-sort of.

I always wanted wood trim around our windows and doorways. Every time we added on a room, if a window was involved, we had it installed at the time. But, we never went back to the living room or dining room. So one day...and the rest is history. We simply bought inexpensive 1X4s and 1X2s and with my SIL's measuring once technique, we got the impact I wanted. It is not a difficult project at all but takes some thinking ahead...again, so glad my SIL was here! On this one, I will admit that my brother and I were kind of "dumb and dumber" But, we were cheap labor so in the end, it all came out!

I don't know how something so simple can make me so happy. I think it just might be the pop that the white paint gives the window against the wall.

And then my brother and sister-in-law were in on another of my hair-brained ideas...the trellis over the garage door. I get into a lot of trouble perusing Pinterest!

Every time I drive up this driveway, I smile. Believe it or not, by December these beauties were all the way up the trellises and going across the top. And then came the winter of 2017!! I didn't cover the bougainvilleas as I truly thought they were indestructible in Florida but, apparently not, as they froze all of the way back. The one on the right started coming back awhile ago but I really thought the other one was a goner...until I noticed some tiny little green leaves and it is now making a nice come back. Sadly, they are not even as tall as they were when we planted them but I am fertilizing and have high hopes!

And while we're here, another no-brainer favorite of mine is the addition of the garage door "hardware". So inexpensive but I just love the detail it adds.

  
As you can probably tell, I could go on and on...I HAVE gone on and on! But I really love doing these projects around my home. They keep me busy...but not necessarily out of trouble! Which brings me to my next post. Yes, I already have it planned. It will be entitled "50 Shades of Gray". Intrigued yet? Come back soon and stay tuned.