The "Bug" Has Hit Our House!!

That would be the spring cleaning bug!! Yep! AFTER I finished my spring decorating-don't even ask me why I do it in this order...I will not be able to tell you. I guess it is just because I am always in such a hurry to see the new decor. I always Pledge and Windex all surfaces as I take down old and put up new...but, the most I usually do to the floors is Swiffer or vacuum. Today I awoke to a gorgeous spring day and decided that ALL floors needed a good cleaning-the "on your hands and knees" kind of cleaning-along with all of the woodwork as well. I will probably only get the family room and sun room done today and then will try to tackle the wood floors tomorrow.

I LOVE the feeling of accomplishment I get when I finally tackle things from top to bottom! It won't stay clean long but I will enjoy it as long as it lasts!

 And, look what came my way the other day. Inside that very long, heavy box is the hardware for the barn doors that we will soon be installing over the "laundry area". There have been bi-fold doors on this area since we enclosed this room and they a real pain in the neck-sometimes literally- as they are always slipping off of their track when I am folding clothes. I am SOOOO looking forward to being able to simply slide the doors one way or the other. My son-in-law put some up at his house so I am enlisting his expertise and muscle to help with this project. I thought I could do it all by myself but when my daughter mentioned the possibility of having to saw through the very wide and strong rod to shorten it a bit, I decided to call in some help!

I have changed my mind a few times but now think I want a bit of a more "tailored" looking door as opposed to the barn door style that I had originally planned.

Thinking of something like this minus the glass. The plans are to construct the doors and then "shabby chic" them up...should be fun.

And, along the lines of finally moving forward, we are off on Friday to pick the rest of the surfaces and hardware for the master bath renovation. I am getting excited but will believe it is really happening when I finally see the blue tub and tile out! My daughter has promised to let me help in the demo-sledge hammer included- so I will soon mark another "first" off of my list. I have wanted to knock down a wall of tile ever since I started watching home improvement shows so it is about to really happen!

Spring pictures coming after I finish cleaning. Stay tuned.
 

Whirlwind!!

The last ten days are a bit of a blur but full of so many wonderful memories! We had a house full of family, grand dogs, travel, eating, celebrating, laughing, watching movies and talking-yes, always LOTS of talking where this group is concerned.

We made one day trip to Micanopy. We ate at my favorite little restaurant and then ambled through the shops. Since Kris is still doing reno on her house, she was thrilled to find a lot of windows that had recently been removed from a building that we all remember from UF. Of course, that was a no-brainer. She also found a beautiful set of china for her newly renovated dining room. Of course once the deal was done, we had to come up with some "innovative" ideas for getting home!

 
Our family motto has always been "where there's a will, there's a way"...at least when it comes to getting home things we probably shouldn't have bought but did! Once I traveled home from Atlanta with service for 12 Pfalttzgraf Christmas china on my lap, under my feet and everywhere else we could cram it-BTW, I wasn't driving. I also carried a heavy, metal sundial all over the city of Boston! And believe me, those are just the first two that come to mind-there have been many! Now that I am seeing my "children" doing the same thing, that old adage about the apple falling from the tree rings truer and truer!

We went up to Gainesville a day early to visit with that bunch and I got to do another "first" in my life-I took a one hour yoga class with my daughter, grand daughter and sister-in-law. I think I did an OK job and I really enjoyed it. My biggest problem was clearing my head to relax as I am always thinking about what I have to do next! Might need more work on the "relaxing" part.

The Easter bunny gave me just one more reminder that I am getting old when the girls' baskets this year were full of essentials and money and nary a candy in sight! How's a Nana supposed to steal a Reeses peanut butter egg?

Nana and Papa got the kids distracted with some Easter "Minute-to-Win-It" games while the bunny did his magic and hid the eggs.

Thanks to Pinterest, everyone was kept occupied for the time needed. I love these games because "kids" of all ages can play and the playing field is pretty even-sometimes, age even helps.

And they're off!

We missed daughter #1 and her family but were glad we had last week to visit with them. We just got home and it is time for some heavy duty spring cleaning but first it is time for the spring decorating. Easter to spring is my easiest transition as it mostly involves taking down the bunnies and colored eggs and adding back in some birds, nests and garden items. Can't wait. Stay tuned.

Leaves, Leaves and More Leaves!!

It is that time of year again. As the loveliness of spring arrives, so does the deluge of the rest of the oak leaves. There are leaves and pine pollen everywhere you look. It is always that time of year that I think I will never get my yard cleaned up but I always do...just not this week. I am thinking if I make it through Easter, I will bring out my BFF pressure cleaner and things will soon begin to look better.

In the meantime, I am staying busy keeping a watchful eye on three dogs and my house-lol. And, for just that reason, this will be another short post.

If you look closely, you will see another of this year's new treasures-the two rabbit coffee cups from PB-and, on sale. They have the same watercolor look as the pillow I bought for the LR.

I found this little goodie on sale at HL this year. And, of course, since it is vintage and a postcard with script, it was a no-brainer!

So this is how my new Easter Bunny Treat jar started out...

...and then I switched it to this. But, since I took these pictures I have tweaked it yet again. I brought it down from the shelf and set it on the counter near the old wooden box. I think it is much more visible there and I just love it. I put a small arrangement and a bunny back up on the shelf.

So that is this year's kitchen. I wish I had time to be more creative but it is just not in the "calendar" for this year-everything is moving too quickly. A few more things to show you before the day is actually here. Stay tuned.

Hippity Hoppity...

We are having the first really dreary, rainy day that we have had in awhile. While my yard is loving it, the three grand dogs we have visiting would really so much rather be outside and running around. So, lucky for you, this will be a bit of a short post so I can go keep my eye on what mischief they may find inside to amuse themselves!?!

I like the mantle kind of sparse but I kept thinking something was missing when I realized that there were no lights to hang. I really don't remember but I am thinking they must have burned out last year and I tossed them. If I see any egg lights in my wanderings this week, I might just grab a set but if not, I am getting used to this look and will think about it again next year. I DO still love my bunny sign!

Simplicity is really the theme of the day in this room. Easter just came too quickly after St. Pat's for me to do anything new and innovative. I am not even getting any new crafting done but having the family here for the week will more than make up for that so I am good.

It is too quiet on the other side of the house-off to see what they're up to. Stay tuned.

Happy Easter...

...on St. Pat's Day! Yes, I know, while the rest of the world is turning everything green, we did that this past weekend and I am now on to the next holiday. We have daughter #1 and her family coming tomorrow for a week's visit and I want to be ready!

And so, without further ado-and because I really need to start getting some cleaning done...but then again, there will be 3 dogs here all week so I'm not sure why I feel the need to clean-but that's for another post-welcome to the living room. And, let me just say that because this was the quickest change EVER, I pretty much kept things the same-just a few added goodies for this year.

I still love the vintage sign nestled into the wreath. The wreath will hang here all through my spring decor as well so all I will have to do is pull out the Easter sign and I will be ready to go!

I think I also like the addition of the sign because it helps pull this little papier mache' chick into the fold amongst so many bunnies.

Again, I am nothing if not consistent. This is one of my finds at HL this year and it goes right along with the feel of the vintage sign in the wreath except that this one celebrates the bunnies.

Here is another new goodie this year-this one from PB. And, since I waited to buy it until I was actually able to go to the store, it was on sale. Seems like I always have an affinity to the PB watercolor pillows as well-I think I have them for at least 4 other occasions.

I love these silly old pages given to me by daughter #3 years ago and now I have added the paper nest that my cousin made for me a few years back. There is just something about the aged paper that makes them go together so perfectly.

And, as if I am not rushing holidays together quickly enough already, let me show you my first Mother's Day gift of the year. Yes, you saw correctly! When we were in St. Pete last week and I was helping get stuff out of my daughter's garage, my eyes fell upon 3 of these beauties. When I asked my daughter about them, she started mumbling all sorts of nonsensical things and then finally admitted that she had bought one of them for me as a birthday gift but then she and her sister came up with another idea so she decided to keep it for MD. Of course, now that I had seen it, there was NO way I was waiting until May to begin using it so here it is! I love it! I am using it to hold a candle right now just because I was in such a hurry, but the possibilities are endless once I actually have time to think and I know this will be one of those decorative items that will stay out pretty much all year long! The older I get, the LARGER I like my statements to be!

So I am off to clean but I have lots more to show you. Stay tuned.