And It's Not Even February Yet!!

Wow! I'm starting to feel pretty smug! This will be the last post on my Valentine decor and I've pretty much shared all of my other holiday plans and it isn't even February yet! That being said, I'm kind of freaking out because I like to keep going right up until the big day. I will be sharing photos of the grand kids' Valentine weekend but that is still about 2 weeks away so not sure what I will be sharing between now and then but I will have to get cracking!

That being said, I think I just have the front of the house and the guest bath left to share so let's go!

I can't believe that all three of the poinsettia plants I bought back in November are not only still alive but thriving! The ONLY time of the year that I like poinsettias is with Christmas decor. But, they are red and they ARE still alive so I am tolerating them on the porch right now. I didn't even move them in on the nights when our temperatures hit the low 20s...and still they go on. They keep saying "Christmas" to me instead of Valentine's Day but, as I said, they ARE red! Lol I just can't bring myself to throw them out just yet. But, at the first sign of leaf droppage...!

I had a few extra of the little flower pot photo holders that I think I have made with just about each of my grand children, scouts, etc. so I put them on the dresser in the bedroom to make me smile.

And, here is how the the "key to my heart" art turned out. I'm still not a fan but I tried out some different frames and they're starting to win me over.

And, here is where I am on the living room blind issue. I have picked out my favorites and daughter #1 is now gathering estimates. We shall see.

In the mean time, I am doing just fine with the drapes now that they are hemmed-thanks to my sister-in-law. She is much more patient than I and, she measures twice before she cuts...unlike me!! I still think I would like to add the blinds but these heavy, linen drapes are sure helping to keep out the cold and in the heat! Decisions, decisions!

And while I'm dreaming away, does anyone else have one of these? I had one as a child and then bought this one for our girls and it still lives on for our grand children. I love how much they love it and its very simple concept. Just light the candles and the smoke from the candle makes the top spin which in turn makes the chimes ring. It goes on the round table in the sun room every Christmas and the kids always remember to ask me to light it and sit as mesmerized as I did all those many years ago. Something to be said about a tradition living on...and on...and on! Stay tuned.

Best "Un-laid" Plans

As busy as last week turned out to be with all sorts of visitors and fun days out with family and friends, this week promised to be very quiet with no real plans of any kind. I had some of the usual things on my agenda-shopping, running errands, cleaning, ....but none of that really excited me! But, as I am learning, there is always so much to do around here that I don't ever have to look very far to find something to keep me busy. That being said, the things I find are not always things I want to do. But, this week is different.

I love to cook but don't really do a lot of it any more unless I am having company. But, I watch almost every cooking show that is on the air...and, I download a lot of recipes. I saw a Mexican Lentil soup on The Chew that intrigued me and most of the ingredients I already had in my pantry so this is the one that got the cooking juices going this week.

This is like a chili-soup and really delicious. It got thick and yummy and full of lentils. There is also a recipe for Skillet Cornbread that sounds fabulous. They suggest you serve a wedge with the soup to sop up all of the goodness. I was so tempted but didn't make it this time because I knew I would have no "off" switch and would end up eating all of that yummy cornbread probably covered with another new favorite - Irish butter...but that is another story all together!

I did decide that I needed something so I pulled out another of my favorite friends and made a loaf of wheat bread.

I think I told you I have been gathering up stuff for a garage sale and every time I walked through my sun room, I noticed how huge my basil plant was becoming. Usually I have my herbs planted outside the door on the side of the house but I love fresh basil and knew it wouldn't survive the winter so decided to try it in the sun room. It did so well that it was hard to get by it going in and out of the door. And so, I decided to do a large harvest and knew I would be making some pesto. Again, I had everything I needed already. I had pine nuts in the freezer but they are so expensive and I love them on my salads or pasta so I decide that rather than mix them into the pesto I would use a slightly less expensive pecan.

This too is delicious. Guess I will be making some pasta for dinner tonight!

I also had a lot of veggies around so I whipped up one of my favorites, Cauliflower Fried Rice.

As if feeling like Martha Stewart in the kitchen wasn't enough for me, I put on her crafting apron too. I got some Valentine cards made, started gathering ideas and supplies for the grand kids' Valentine weekend and finally decided on something to do as a gift.

 
 I will be the first to admit that this is not my favorite idea ever but I bought some keys many months ago in the dollar bin at Michaels and just decided that I HAD to do some sort of  "key to my heart" craft. I'm having fun just because I love to craft but there might just be some tweaking to come. I still have to go buy some frames but I'm working on a sample - still not love at first sight or even second but I'm just happy to be crafting something so I am going with it for now.

My grand children are old enough now that they like a bit of a challenge when crafting. They also like using tools. So, when I saw an idea on Pinterest that I thought they might like AND their mom wouldn't mind using in their house, I decided to make up a sample and see where it went. I found the original at hazelandgold.com.

The original of this wood heart used slices of 2X4s. Since another of my goals was to use up lots of scraps that I already had on hand, I switched the wood to 1X2s. I had some 2X4s but they were pressure treated and not right for this project. I will say, the larger wood produced a more realistic heart shape but this is art - up to interpretation - and my eye interprets this as a heart. Lol

The original also has mitered corners on the frame but my chop saw is so old it can no longer give true cuts so I just went with the overlapping wood on the corners and I am good with it.

I had quite a day pre-cutting all of the wood. I am going to let each grand make one to be given as gifts to their mom and aunts so it was a lot of wood slices. And then I decided that I needed to take an inch off of each to help retain the heart shape a little better. The kids will need to sand, stain the wood ( it uses a colored stain which is just watered down acrylic paint ), glue, nail and stain the frame, distress the pieces and assemble. That should keep them busy between baking, cooking, playing "Minute-to-Win-It" and making Valentines for the birds!

And, as often happens with me, one thing leads to another. I have had a HUGE stack of stuff that needed to be taken to the dump but somehow life kept getting in the way. All of a sudden I realized that while I had both the chop saw and the jig saw set up and ready to go, I could tackle some of that stack. Well, several hours later I am happy to say that except for the two metal French doors that used to be leading out to the porch, EVERYTHING else is broken up and ready for the garbage men!!! I am barely able to stand up but I am feeling SO accomplished that I really don't care!! Towanda returns!

And, I still have this beautiful reminder of a lovely visit with daughter #2! I love fresh flowers. They make me smile every time I look at them!

A bit more Valentine decor to show you and some decisions on blinds in the making. I know you're on the edge of your seat...lol. Stay tuned.

My Favorite Spot!

I must admit that I have lots of favorite spots in my house. A lot of time my current favorite depends on the holiday and season and so, as we speak, the family room is my favorite! My chair gives me a perfect view of the whole room and when the lights are on on the mantle, the candles are all lit and a fire is going in the fireplace, I am in heaven. I could literally sit there all day long!

So on we go to my cozy spot...

I still love my dozen long stemmed "poses". Maybe one of these days I should make another with some updated photos! Lol

I bought that second Pottery Barn lantern before Christmas and when I went to re-do the mantle for Valentine's Day, I decided the pair is now going to be another "permanent" decor display in my home. That way, I have less area to think about and all I will have to do is change the color of the candles depending on the holiday or season. I LOVE these lanterns and I love how they anchor the mantle, so why not? Starting to go with the "if it ain't broke..." way of thinking. It is also helping me to begin to de-clutter a bit....which, I will admit, is very difficult for me. Not so much because I don't want to but because every time I do, Murphy's law drops in. I swear, every time I get rid of something, someone in my family will call the very next day and ask if I still have it and can they borrow it...it NEVER fails.

That being said, I am beginning to gather some things for a dreaded garage sale. I AM NOT a garage sale fan. I don't like going to them and I REALLY dislike having them. But I do have a lot of stuff and I am kind of getting tired of having to move 6 things to get to another. It is time to simplify a bit more - not only in my decorating but in my storage as well. This will not be easy for me but I am going to try to start with baby steps - we shall see!

And this has been my view the last few days. We have had some "real" winter weather so I have not only had a chance to wear some of my many sweaters but also to have some real fires. I usually take the easy way out and just use a Duraflame for the ambiance but the last few weeks, I have definitely wanted the heat that real flames give off. And, I must say, I am getting pretty good at this fire building!

So that's it for today. Our weather is picture perfect today so I'm off to get some things done but I will be back. Stay tuned.

Valentine Dining Room

It looks like we're in for a reminder of just what winter can feel like if we lived anywhere but Florida so before I head out to grab some wood and get a fire going, let's head into the dining room.

I'm kind of loving one of my Christmas gifts from daughter #3 and family - the Ravenswood Winery poster. My girls and I have always thought of this logo as "ours" as there are the three girls in our family and our last name is Ravn. My daughter got this poster when she visited the winery in Napa. I immediately fell in love with it and tried to find one only to learn that it can only be purchased at the winery. What a wonderful surprise to see it come into our house on Christmas and to now have it hanging in our dining room. I love it!

Wow, I got through these pictures without much to say. Guess since I'm keeping it a bit simpler these days, things are pretty self explanatory. I'm off to try to get cozy and "hunker in" for what promises to be maybe our coldest night yet! Stay warm and stay tuned.

Getting Back to Routine

I am happy to say that I finally have all of Christmas down and put away. It took me awhile because I kept finding other little projects to squeeze in...but that's a good thing. And now, I have Christmas down as well as lots of little projects completed-a good way to start the new year!

And so, let's move along on the Valentine decor. Into the kitchen we go. Once again I was so thankful that I finally started using the baker's rack for its intended purpose and not just as another place to display pictures and decor. My brother, sister-in-law and youngest grand daughter were here for the weekend and we grabbed many dishes and cups from the rack. It is just the easiest way to not only display but to also make available all of your holiday items for easy accessibility!

I'm so happy it's tulip time again! I love spring flowers and around here, the tulips are always the first to arrive and are the most readily available.

As I was posting this blog, I was looking at all of the things that I still use that I have made over the years. I am really having trouble finding anything I want to put on my craft to-do list this year. I haven't given up hope - I am still looking - but, when I make something I like it to be something I can and will actually use. Don't know if I'm just getting pickier or if there really aren't any new ideas out there. Fingers crossed that I will get a brain storm soon. Stay tuned.