Moving Along

 This week is turning out to be one of those "life happens" kind of weeks. They are never quite as fun as weeks full of exciting happenings but they are necessary none-the-less. And, I will say, they leave me feeling accomplished when I survive them. Of course you know that when I have weeks like this I like to start early and go full steam until I am done but, unfortunately, that couldn't happen this week.

I hit the ground running early Monday morning and started on the far side of my pool where the rains from the summer storms gave new life-and strength-to weeds. Because of the weather, I haven't been out to that side of the yard as often as usual so I will admit to "overlooking" the beginnings of the weed growth. But, I was actually quite shocked as I got out there. Every year I seem to come upon a weed I have never seem before-it's almost as if the ones I am beginning to close in on call for the reserves-LOL-and this year was no exception! I have never had carpets of weeds extend so far that they are actually going up into my privacy fence.

I will admit to almost throwing in the towel before even beginning because it looked like it was a never ending fight but, I got down there on the ground and, after about two hours of constant pulling in that one area, I saw some headway so I continued! Thankfully the pool is only a few steps away and I will admit to at least three trips into the water to cool off a bit as I was working!

Of course, then, one thing leads to another and by the end of the day I had put a bit of a dent into everything that needed to be done. And, I would have been a very happy camper if I could have repeated that process on Tuesday morning but I had a hairdresser appointment. And so, by the time I was home from that and my hair was looking all nice and clean and coiffed, I wasn't about to head back out.

That brings us to today where I am currently running in and out and catching a few things between doing this. Right now it's looking like maybe one or two more days and I will be caught up-probably just in time for all of this year's leaves to start falling and new weeds to start popping up. Lol

In any case, let's catch the two bathrooms and then we will almost be finished with this year's autumn tour. I feel as if I might have gotten lazy by just keeping this lantern in the same place through the last number of decor swaps but I love the twinkle that the candle gives this end of the house at night so I'm going with it until I can no longer justify it. 

This is where this picture ended up this year and I like it. I bought it last year to hang in the living room under the shelf but I was actually never really sold on it for that spot. It was just the best that I could do at the time until daughter #1 surprised me with the pretty painting that I have there now. It's not that I don't like this one-it's that the other is more what I wanted for that spot.

The living room now...

And, as always the nod to the season in the primary.

I am off to grab a quick lunch before I head back out to see what I can finish up today. The weatherman is promising us a "hint" of autumn-not necessarily in a temperature drop but a drop in humidity. I will take it any way I can get it. We have had a few days if mostly dry conditions so I am hoping that maybe my new roof will get started soon! I don't think I've been so excited about spending so much money ever before in my life. Lol With the most worrisome trees now gone and then a new roof, I should be good to go for a bit-fingers crossed. Stay safe and stay tuned.

No Surprise!

This will probably no longer come as a surprise to you but, my plans for today have changed once again. When we last spoke I think I said I would be working outside all day but, it is dreary, humid, hot and just not pretty out there right now and that is the last place I want to be. And so, let's go catch the rest of the family room.

Sorry-I forgot to close the TV doors in this shot.

 

I can vividly remember making this pallet sign. It might have even been the first that I did-or the second? I wish I could remember the sites where I used to get these ideas. They not only blogged about the things they made, they gave you instructions and many times the image that you could use any way you wanted as long as it was just for your personal use. 

I actually just saw my post for this the other day as a memory on FB. It has so many layers of color all sanded back to look nice and chippy and old. I had so much fun making this that I was sad when I was finished.

It's hard to see here but this candle holder has almost all of the same colors as the sign does-serendipity? Lol

I bought the large gray pumpkin at HL a few years back and then, again form another blog I no longer have privy to, I downloaded the sign and customized it for an "Ocala" patch.

And, once again, my beautiful "coffee" tulips still making an appearance.

So that is the family room for this year. I'm off to watch the rest of grandson #1's football game-we're at half time right now. They are in Milton, CT playing against Curry College who just redid their field in "purple"! It is a bit distracting but, I will say, it does make picking out numbers a bit easier. And, for whatever reason, this school's cameras are mostly right down on the action so I am seeing Harrison like I am right there. He is playing tons today and even though he has been doing this for years, I still get nervous until its over and everyone is safe. 

I'll be back. Until then, stay safe and stay tuned.

Which Came First?

 My plan had been to take you into the family room today-and, in a way, that is what we are doing. But, we are only going to concentrate on a theme. As I was looking around in this room the other day, my focus went to the blush colored flowers on the mantle and my mind started wandering back to when I first added them there.

And then I glanced around the room and saw something else...there were those same flowers in so many other areas just in different forms. Honestly, I think I made the pumpkin arrangement first and then saw the flowers at HL and decided to add them to the mantle. And then after I added the blush peonies to the mantle, I also stuck in the orange poppies to give a bit more of the autumn pop.

In any case, once again, I can see what a creature of habit-for lack of a better description-I am. Or is it just serendipity again? None of these other flowers were actually planned. I just make what I like and somehow it all falls into place. Lol I wish I could say that I'm so gifted that I planned it all but that is so far from the truth-half the time I am truly just flying by the seat of my pants. The good thing is that this is my house and, honestly, I can do just what I want. Sometimes it works-this time I just got lucky.

So, I truly think this was my jumping off point to the blush colored flowers in this room...otherwise, I don't think I would have chosen them. I saw an inspiration for this somewhere and I happened to have an old pumpkin sitting around so I gave it a few coats of cream and light orange chalk paint followed by antique wax and then just added what I thought looked nice. I think this was back when the lighter shades of autumn were coming into play and I liked it for this room.

Apparently once this little cutie was here, I didn't want it to feel lonely and so, over the next few years, its kissing cousins were added.

And, as I was sitting out in this room last night, I snapped a few pictures of the MANY battery operated candles that I so often refer to. I think this month might be the winner as there are 15 candles and 1 chargeable little lamp. It might just be bordering on too many but I still breathe easy every night as they come on-they are so comforting me to me and my house is a lot safer than if they were real. Lol

So granddaughter #4 and her roommate stopped by yesterday afternoon for a quick visit and to pick up my grand dog to take him home to St. Pete. I must say that I always get a bit sad after any of my furbabies leave. I always had dogs in my life and I do miss having my own now but, that being said, I do get to dog sit often enough to remind me that a dog-or any pet-is a big committment if you are a good pet owner. And, at this stage of my life, I am better off with just borrowing them and sending them home when I'm ready to get back to my own routine. Lol

Since today is Fri-YAY and still HOT, I am going to catch the inside things and then hopefully, with Mother Nature's co-operation-I will spend the next two days out in the yard catching up there. You got just a little sneak peek at the family room but I will be back to show you more soon. Until then, stay safe and stay tuned.

Just Popping In

 Just a quick pop-in today. I was going to take you into the family room-which would be our usual MO-or out onto the porch now that I have the pots all full of mums but, my grand dog is leaving this afternoon. Granddaughter #4 is coming by to pick him up on her way down to St. Pete so her mom doesn't have to drive up here tomorrow after she returns from NY. I realized that if I were to take you into the family room now, I would have to reset several areas as Bennett loves to be in this room so I move things around so he will be more comfortable. He loves to take himself up on the couch but really doesn't have enough room when all of the pillows are there so I usually just pile them on one of the chairs. He also occasionally likes to lay on the hearth so I move all of those things too. Once he is gone, I will move everything back and that will be the next place we stop but for today, just a few quick glimpses.

First, a glimpse in the living room.

That is one of my new chairs and it is now proudly "wearing" that beautiful deep orange throw. It actually looks like a sweater knit but it is cotton. It would be cozy to snuggle up with but for now, it is there as jewelry. It was needed because of the imbalance of this wall.

Because of where the couch is-and it's actually about the only place it can go-the chest has to be here to be centered with the couch. That leaves more room on one side of the chairs than the other. To compensate for that, I added the Ficus tree...and, that kind of did the trick but that side of the room was definitely then reading as a bit too heavy...and so, I added the throw just to give this side more weight. I think it works? Even if it doesn't, I love the color!

And then I thought we'd take a quick peek at the primary bedroom. I didn't add a lot-just enough to keep me in my good "autumn mood". Lol

First, the thing I see most days when I open my eyes.

Just enough of the beautiful autumn colors to make me happy.

And for the last few years this is where this beauty lands for my autumn decor although it takes more of a place of prominence for Thanksgiving. I have told you about this before. I found it at a new shop in Ocala-which unfortunately is no longer open-and fell in love with it. It was behind the check-out counter and I'm not even sure it was really for sale because decor items were really not what they were about but I asked and they gave me a price-which was realty kind of high in my opinion so I thanked them and went on my way.

But, as often happens to me, I couldn't get that thing out of my brain. It's hard to tell from here but it is crusty and rusty-right up my alley. Back then it had a thin autumn leaf garland twisted around it. I actually loved that but, over so many years, it didn't fair well so I added the leaves that are on there now. In any case, I had mentioned it to my husband and a few days later, he walked in from work with it in his hands. I was definitely spoiled that way. Lol

I truly love it but it is pretty large and can only fit in certain places so for now, it is here but have patience, it will be back bigger and better soon. 

This side of the room is hard to photograph because even with the shades on the bay window still down, the glare in the mirror is strong. Hopefully you can see all of the rusty goodness that I first fell in love with!

So that's it for today. I'm off to take Benny outside for a bit and let him run before he has to face that 2 hour car ride home. He is not a fan of that drive so I'm hoping if I tire him out a bit, he might settle a little-fingers crossed because my granddaughter will also have her kitten along for the ride. Fun times. Lol

Once I get things back to normal, I will return for the rest of our tour Stay safe and stay tuned.

Cabin Fever!

Oh yes! In my opinion, people can get cabin fever in seasons other than just winter! We may not ever get the snow that is the usual culprit in January and February in more northern areas but this summer's rain and storms-not to mention the heat-are starting to drive me crazy! I SO want to be outside tackling some much needed maintenance but it is just too darn hot. And so, I am busying myself inside with things that really don't need attention. Oh sure, there are probably lots of other things that do need attention but I think I have told you before-unless something really motivates me, I am not doing it...and, not much is motivating me today. Lol So, here I am with a look at the sunroom. I will say that when I took these photos the sun was shining brightly and picture taking-at least good picture taking-for me-was hard.

There's just something pretty about how the sun hits these colors.

This pumpkin pallet picture usually hangs where I now have the lanterns hanging so it almost didn't make the cut. I made this many years ago by using a felt pumpkin placemat from $Tree as my stencil. I liked it back then so the more I walked around with it, the more I wanted it out and this is where it landed...not very inspired but maybe inspiration will still hit when I least expect it. lol

Ever since I moved this corner cupboard out here, I have put a battery operated candle on the top. It helps the cabinet appear a bit taller next to the other cabinets in the unit and it adds a pretty unexpected sparkle when I head out into this room later at night.

I stuck the "Plum leaf" branches that I got from "My Texas House" in Walmart into the jug of autumn leaves and I love the way it looks together. It is hard to see here because those leaves are reading black but they are really a very, very dark brown-at least to my eyes. But, since they read black to me also, they will be back out in some kind of a Halloween arrangement next month.

I moved the cute "fingerprint" tree out here by the kids' childhood pictures. Daughter #3 made me that years ago-I guess that would be 13 years ago-when all of my grands were small. I have always loved any handprint or fingerprint projects I was given. They have extra special meaning to me now that all of those little hands have gotten so big! sigh....

So that is this end of the sunroom for this year. I have pops of autumn at the other end but that is the end that leads not only to the garage but also to the door on the side of the back yard where I take the dogs out...and that means it is also the end where I stash dog treats and brushes, grocery shopping bags-of the season of course-small garden tools for quick maintenance on this side of the yard and anything else that needs to find its way back into the garage or car. In other words, it is not horrible but it also isn't necessarily photo worthy. Let's just say it's evidence of a much lived in area. Lol

So that is it for the sunroom. I am off to water all of the potted plants or I might be off looking for new mums. Since I keep the living room closed off when the dogs are here so they don't go crazy every time a car goes around the circle, I tend to forget watering the pots on the porch-and, with our temps still hovering high, it doesn't take long!!!

Stay safe and stay tuned.