The End Is In Sight!

 I was just passing by a front window and I saw this...yep, 6 more cans of debris and leaves. But, the end is truly in sight! I think I am down to mostly just raking out garden beds. I won't get to that for awhile as I will be traveling but I bet it will all be waiting there for me when I return. Lol And, by the looks of my driveways, pressure cleaning is a bit over due!

In any case, yesterday was the most gorgeous day ever! It was cool and picture perfect so I spent most of it in the yard tackling a few of the things that have been on my list and yes, filling those 6 cans yet again. 

Then, I came in and baked 6 dozen cookies for the lacrosse game tonight. My daughter and her hubby are feeding the team before the game and I am going to help serve. I made up some cookies to serve as a bit of dessert. It is senior night so my oldest grandson will be recognized along with the rest of his class of 2023 team mates. I'm heading off at 3:15 so it will be a long day but so much fun!

Before I go I thought I would finish up our tour. I think we have the bathrooms left.

Every time I post anything chippy and rusty, my heart skips a beat. I wish I knew just what makes me drawn to that feel so much? Maybe it's a good thing because I have been around so long that even things that were once new to me are now pretty much chippy and rusty. Lol

Does anyone else remember these cute little egg shaped vases filled with spring flowers. I actually think I have a few more somewhere. I bought them at Victoria's Secret way back when they first opened and used to carry different seasonal and some small home decor. Yikes...I am a dinosaur!

I think that finishes up this year's Easter home tour. My grand daughter who lives in Charleston and that I am heading to see next week asked if we could do an Easter craft while I am up there...and yes, I'm taking along the bunny ears for some obligatory pictures-those bunny ears have sure been around a long time. I am off to gather up whatever things I have around the house that she might not have and then I will probably try to get in a quick HL trip to see if there are still any Easter supplies left. I'm thinking we might be better going for "spring" so that she could keep it out longer but this is her first Easter in a house all her own so I'm guessing she just wants to start her collection. I will be sure to take more pictures this time and I will share.

I'll probably be back to share lacrosse pictures tomorrow but, until then, stay safe and stay tuned.

TempusFugit

 I just realized that Easter is only two weeks away and, since I am heading out of town five days before that, I figured I might better finish up the tour for this year before I need to start getting my ducks in a row for my trip. I truly have no idea why or how Easter snuck up on me this year. Perhaps it is because I knew I would be gone and not hosting this year. Daughter #3 and her family-who live here in the same town as me and has my three youngest grands-will also be out of state so the usual pre-Easter things weren't on the front burner either. Or, it's just that I have been so busy getting the yard recovered from what must have been a long, hard winter that I just never got that far. 

In any case, I am now starting to think about packing, baking, etc. so I don't know how many more posts there will be before I am off. And so, with that very lengthy excuse, let's head into the sunroom.

I'm still using the pillow cover I made awhile back. Once I made the cover it was a simple matter to just print the image on to fusible fabric and iron it on.

 

I think it's a good thing that I no longer have any children or grand children making visits to the Easter bunny. This unit is full and I also have some pictures in the living room, family room and my bedroom...no more room at the inn. Lol

So that is how things looked before I went and grabbed some lunch...and this is how things look now. I took away the pillow that I had painted and brought these two in here...and I like this better. The linen pillow was from Target last year and I have had the needle pointed one forever. I think this is truly about the only room in my house where it could go with that aqua color in the corner.

And then a change in the dining room as well. When I showed you the table yesterday, the sap bucket just sat on the runner and I was OK with that. But, I decided that I would like to see what my kitchen would look like without the tiered tray-which I never decorated-or at least hardly ever-and just used as a junk catch-all. Once that was gone, the wood round tray was obvious and I had truly forgotten about it. And so, out it came and here it is. I like it because it mimics the dark brown of the tobacco basket on the shelves and, of course, the table.

And, honestly, that brought to light another board that took over another spot but I will show you that when I show you the family room. And so, for the moment, everything else is staying where it is...and, my kitchen counter looks so much larger-not sure I like it but we shall see.

And, I must say, I am loving my new faucet. I didn't think it would be that different from my old one but having the pull-down sprayer is a game changer...so much easier than dragging out the old one and pulling the hose over everything! And, the "boost" feature that I thought was truly a waste of technology is being used so much I can't believe it! It fills a pot in an instant and really gives a strong flow to the water so that things are so much easier to rinse out-who would have thunk?

So that is it for today except for giving me a chance to brag a bit. Daughter #3, who is an interior designer, was in the Southern Living digital magazine last month and now this month she is highlighted in their newest column on rooms people are designing for their pets. She recently finished a complete new build and the owners are animal lovers so she designed a special area for their dogs at one end of their very large laundry and mud room...and Southern Living picked it up. It was so exciting to grab that magazine off of the shelf and see her name and our hometown. She's famous. Lol

 Sorry for this random, all over the place post. As I said, my mind is jumping around this week...so much to do and, unfortunately, not enough time. I'll be back and maybe some of the things will be off of my list and I can get organized! Stay safe and stay tuned.

Fri-YAY!

 I guess I should be feeling guilty. I have a list a mile long yet I am choosing to do only what I really want today and that is, give myself the day! It has been a busy week and I am tired and feel like I just need a day like this. I will probably end up doing a lot of little things-none of which are on the "list" - but, that's OK. The good thing about being retired is that there is always tomorrow!

That being said, let me start with my first "little thing". When last I posted, I mentioned that I wasn't crazy about how the bunny picture I added this year was looking. It was just not in proportion nor did it pop but, in sticking to my "buy nothing new" mantra, I was stumped. Until I decided that it needed a frame. And so, I headed to my trusty supply of used frames. 

The closest I found was a black frame still holding a precious memento of my teaching days. I knew right away that it would be too big but I thought maybe I could come up with a mat of sorts. And so, I removed the memento for safe keeping and started fooling around with the frame. I was at a loss until I realized that the image fit pretty symmetrically in the frame on all sides...and, I actually had 2 holes in this wall that were EXACTLY where they would need to be.

And so, I just gave the inside of the frame a quick coat of black paint so no raw edges were visible and up it went. In the picture you can definitely tell that there is wall around the image but in person, if you are just passing by, it looks like a mat that perfectly matches the wall. Lol Serendipity! Actually, either way I'm fine with it...as a matter of fact, I might go so far as to say it is genius. LOL And, as I look at this picture, I'm thinking I just might go back and paint the frame on the scherenschnitte also. I like that the black gives the image some weight and it matches the soapstone countertop. Guess I've already found one of my "little" projects for today.

So now with all of that being said, why don't we move on to the dining room?

Still loving my HL table runner that reminds me of a PB runner from years past.

 I still love the bunny picture grand daughter #5 made for me a few years back.

So, that is the dining room for this year. I still think there is something missing but, since we are not going to be celebrating at my house this year-or even in my state-I am going to move along. If something hits me smack in the face and I just can't resist, I'll let you know. If not, it is what it is. Lol

Oh, and while I was making this post, I also did this.

I gave the frame a quick coat of black chalk paint...and didn't like that so I sanded a bit of it off. It is hard to see in this picture but it is better...not best yet but we shall see. Stay safe and stay tuned.

 

While I Wait

There are big doings going on in my kitchen...well, not really BIG doings but doings never-the-less.  The last time I changed out my sink-and yes, I have changed it a number of times-I had a new faucet installed and it was a faucet "of the times". It was different from all of the faucets I had had in the past and I loved it...and, it served me well. I don't remember how old it is but it has been there awhile doing its job perfectly. But then one day, it didn't want to turn off all of the way. Well, a long story ensues because I am all about fixing things myself if I can but, plumbing is not my forte. I thought all it needed was a washer until I discovered that single handle levers use a cartridge. OK, I'll just do that. But, the reality is that I probably would have spent a lot of time and money trying to track down this very outdated cartridge and so, I decided that it was time to just get a new faucet. And so I did. And, I am nothing if not a creature of habit-I don't like change. And so, instead of one of the really new fangled faucets that each of my girls has, I went with something pretty much exactly like what I had. The only difference is that this one does have the pull down sprayer on the faucet head and not as a separate attachment. 

The handyman finally showed up to install it and he is currently doing just that so here I am staying out of his way and looking for something to do. How about we head into the kitchen for more of the tour.

I'm trying to keep this room in the same color palette as the living room. There had been a few small pops of orange in past years so they are now gone and it feels a bit better to me.

The carpenter's box might need a bit of work. Right now it is just stacked with the cutting board, a decoupaged plate and my chocolate and cookie molds. Not sure what it needs but a definite tweak is in store.

The egg cutting board from Target $ Spot is cute but I absolutely love the bunny.

This is the $ Tree sign I redid last year and I just took off some flowers that were too bright and added the more muted lavender and pansy...it's the little things. Lol

Here is where the newest canvas ended up.

I also made a change on the hutch. There used to be an arrangement of the more traditional Easter colored flowers and I just didn't want that this year. This is just some purple flowers that I have added to the greenery from St. Pat's with the addition of a past Palm Sunday cross and a cross made for us by a close friend who was also our pastor.

When I got rid of the flower arrangement, I also lost the height in the area and something was definitely needed on the wall. In keeping with not wanting to buy anything new, I just put a hanger on the back of the bunny decoupage I did last year and hung it. I'm still thinking it needs a bit more weight-perhaps in the form of a frame-but we shall see.

So that's the kitchen for this year-looking like green and purple are definitely the stars of the show for now.

I just realized a hidden bonus to the new faucet. The old one had the faucet head, the handle, the sprayer and a soap dispenser. And, it was all so close to the wall that cleaning behind and around all of those things was a challenge.

Since the new one has everything on the faucet head, the only extra is the soap dispenser. I almost didn't have him put that on and I could have used a round stainless cap to cover the opening but I like symmetry and it just didn't look right without it. I always have the hand soap that "matches" my dish soap-always the right color and of the scent season-lol-thank you Mrs. Meyers!!!-so I probably won't ever really use it but, it looks better. And, the large plate that covers the holes will be so much easier to clean...I hope?!

 So that is it for me today. I vacuumed and did a few things outside before the handyman came and I have a list a mile long for the rest of the week so for now I'm going to put my feet up and call it a day. Stay safe and stay tuned.

Here Comes Peter Cottontail

 So my swap began yesterday morning and it actually moved along pretty quickly. I still have the sunroom to decorate and then all of the stuff taken down to pack away but, it moved more quickly than I thought and so I wanted to post the living room and see what you think. It is the room I think I was the least happy with so I made some changes. I'm not sure I'm totally done with the changes but for now, this is where we stand. And, I am not starting with the porch as I usually do because I haven't gotten to the garden shop yet and the pots still have shamrocks...yikes! In any case, let's head into the living room.

I started the change right in the entry. I like the bunny better in the basket than on the large tin tray and, I tried hard to keep the faux flowers down to mostly purple and pink. I had to acquiesce to a bit of yellow because there was already some in the arrangement that I made last year and I love it too much to start to mess with it. I think I needed to just give a nod to the yellow so your eye had a place to land as it went around the room. Still not my favorite color...I don't know why. It's supposed to represent happiness. I think I'm happy...I just don't care for the color. Lol

So this is where the egg wreath ended up. As I thought, I didn't like the new colors with the pot that I put the plant in. I tried putting the wreath on the couch table where it usually lives with other things but I missed the green of the live plant and I didn't have anything else of body that would fill that space-and, the object was to be able to re-decorate without buying anything new. So, here it is. I actually think I like it back where it started so many years ago-albeit with a new coat of many colors. But, the yellow is now introduced and you can follow it around the room.

I also like that the wreath brings in some of the colors in the bunny's egg stash.

As I am looking at this, I am thinking that I need to add something to give this some pop. I think I am going to see if I can find some green excelsior when I head out tomorrow and maybe give the eggs a little color. 

Here is the bunny on the balustrade that is similar to the Pinterest picture that I shared the other day. I was going to do a flower arrangement under him but then decided that I already have bordering on too many faux flowers going on so I just placed him on the flower garland that I picked up in the Target $ Spot and I like it...sometimes less really is more!

I still really love the bunny head arrangement I made last year-although now I am regretting all of those yellow flowers...sigh.

This Easter egg bead garland was actually the first one I made and seemed to be the precursor of all of the other bead garlands to come. I had never seen one but, it looked easy enough, it was back during Covid lock down and, I had all of the supplies so I gave it a try. It's not my favorite but I'm OK with it here.

I was positive that I wasn't going to use the PB pot with the spring flowers this year in my effort to stay more neutral but, I feel like this spot needs something large and until I buy a fresh Easter lily, I caved because I don't have anything else. I did try to weed out a lot of the bright flowers and most of the yellow.

And this is where my beautiful bunny birthday present ended up. I knew I wanted it with the bunny in the cloche-which could be his twin brother or at least a distant cousin-ha-ha-and I wanted it to have a presence. I propped him up on an old, little "stool" that I bought long ago in a favorite antique store and I absolutely love how this vignette turned out-they were made for each other!

So that is the living room so far-always subject to change! I'm off to grab a quick lunch and then to try to get everything packed back up so I can get my car back into the garage and out of the grips of the still falling leaves and pollen! Stay safe and stay tuned. 

Better...at least it will be when I pull those few cellophane grass bits out. I think this will work for now.