A Year's Worth of Mantles

A week or so ago, one of the blogs that I follow posted on her mantle through the year. Wish I could remember what blog, but I don't. That got me to thinking about the mantle on the fireplace in our family room. It definitely changes through the year...and also from year to year.

January/February 2015

March 2015

April 2015

May/June 2015

July 2015

August 2015

September 2015

October 2015

November 2015

December 2015

And that brings us back to January/February 2016...which looks amazingly like January/February 2015...the only difference is the reappearance of the Valentine French flower buckets that I COULD NOT find last year no matter how hard I tried. I knew exactly where they were and still I could not find them. I finally gave up and then this year as I was decorating, I decided to look yet again and low and behold, they almost jumped off the shelf and into my arms! Guess they were just not meant to be last year for WHATEVER reason!

Anyhow, I just thought it would be fun to see the mantle as it progresses over the year. Back to more Valentines next post. Stay tuned.

The Perfect Day!

A lot of people will probably not agree with me-and I wouldn't even agree with myself on this very often-but, it is pouring down rain today and I couldn't be happier! It is the first day in quite awhile that I don't have to leave the house for any reason and the rain just makes it the perfect day to stay in...no guilt involved about why I am not working in the garden, washing the car, etc. Now I know intellectually that I don't have to feel guilty about not staying busy every minute...but somehow I still do.

Of course, I am getting things done today-just things that I enjoy and seldom have the leisure of any more. I am PLANNING! As much as I love Pinterest, I still prefer to leaf through old recipes, craft books, holiday ideas, etc. when I am making plans for a special occasion. Next week I am hosting a little luncheon for my sister-in-law's birthday. I want to make a warm, cozy meal (assuming it is still chilly around here) and a craft that we can all make together. Then, I am planning the little kids' Valentine weekend here at our house. Plus, my daughter has begun thinking about our bathroom renovation so I am supposed to be getting ideas for that as well. NOTHING better then a hot cup of coffee and piles and piles of ideas to leaf through! I am in my glory...and I will be sharing my decisions soon.

Until then, let's stop by the kitchen.

I SO love my tulips this time of year! I have already had two different colors this year. It is my splurge for myself...fresh flowers make me happy!

I went by Yankee Candle yesterday and found out that my favorite scent for Valentine's Day-True Rose-has been discontinued and there were NONE currently still available! Keeping ny fingers crossed I will run across more the next time they have one of their huge sales and send in disconitinued candles. Till then, I'm glad I have a few extra in my candle "pantry". Maybe they will surprise me with a new fragrance this year that I like just as much.

I love using my old, wooden tool caddy to store all of the little things I need so often. It may not look great but it sure is easy to find all of this stuff now that it sits on the counter.

This little bear is so old! Many, many years ago my husband did a countdown to Valentine's Day for me. Holidays have always been big in our house and when he thought of this all on his own, I was impressed. Every day for a week he brought me a gift. He started small and worked up to my "big" gift on February 14. Quite honestly, I have no recollection of what that gift was but I still remember this little bear as the first one...and, she comes out every year to remind me of just how lucky I really am!

In keeping with my new "keep serving things out and accessible and you will use them more often" mentality, I have my new slate serving board on top of the basket on the counter and added the heart shaped basket I made oh so many years ago. It is perfect for all sorts of things and now that it is handy, I find I am using it a lot-at least during the holiday. It looked sort of lonely by itself so I added one of the lanterns the girls and I made as gifts in the past. I light it at night and it just gives off the prettiest glow and makes the kitchen feel special.

It is still raining out there so I am off to make big plans. I am having trouble finding something special to make for Valentine gifts this year so that will be the first order of business. As I look back through these pictures I realize that I have been making things for so long, there isn't much new left to try. Wish me luck and stay tuned.

And, speaking of how flowers make me happy...

Imagine my surprise when, as I was on the tippy top of the ladder taking down outside lights the other day, the delivery van from my favorite florist puled up and gifted me with this beautiful "just thinking of you" bouquet from daughter #2! It made my day-and actually continues to do so-with its beautiful colors and even better fragrance! I love surprises like that!

And, while I am thinking back over this week, another highlight was the 8th Street Elementary award ceremonies. I missed seeing Hudson and Presley receive their awards because I was off having my yearly vision test but we made it in time to see (well, "see" was not the right word for my vision at that point, but I was there) Harrison get awards for AR points and straight-A honor roll. So proud of all of this gang. We got to sit with them also for a few hours while their mom was at work and what a blast we had! Presley got a keyboard for Christmas and we had a grand time belting out some tunes. Good thing there is a button for automatic songs or we would have been in big trouble!

Cabin Fever!

We had a day or two of slightly cooler weather but we are now right back to just dreary, gloomy, warm and humid days...the kind of days that you just want to light a fire and sit and have a glass (or two) of wine and watch movies all day. So....but NOT until I get the Christmas put away once and for all! But, when I do, here is where I will be whiling away the afternoon...all decked out!

This small niche on the side of the fireplace is now full of my over-flow Valentine pictures!

Guess it's a good thing this is the family room because it sure is full of pictures of family. Not sure how I have amassed quite so many, but, just like every other holiday, we DO enjoy our celebrating!

Enjoying the last of the weekend free time. So much coming up this week. Stay tuned.

Gotta Love the LOVE

All of the Christmas decor is down...still not all put back in its rightful "home"...but, down none-the-less. Today is my day to get everything back in containers, on shelves, in closets, under beds, (lol) etc. Then, I am afraid, I will have to wash my car as it has been out in the driveway for more than a few days while the garage is "out of commission" and kind of scattered with pine needles, acorns, leaves, dried water drops, etc.

But all of that being said-and needing to be done-our Valentine's decor is up. We had some unexpected company yesterday and I was glad it was done. My brother and sister-in-law came down to deliver the rest of our Christmas present. This year they made all of their gifts and each family received a garden post painted with four inspirational words and then a rusty garden bird to perch on the top. We got a raven. He is really fun and I was actually thinking of mounting him on a wooden block and using him in the house as a sculptural element but now that the post is here, I want to see how he looks on it after I decide which garden will be their home. More on that in another post. Daughter #3 and her kids came by as well and the kids were so excited to see the house decorated for Valentine's Day. It made me realize that I had better get busy planning our Valentine weekend of fun at Nana and Papa's house because it will be here before we know it!

I didn't make a lot of changes in the living room this year-trying to keep my life simple and going by the axiom "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." I'm OK with it just as it is-although, I wish the day was a bit brighter so these pictures were a little clearer.

I can't believe I have another mirror in this space. It was not too long that I bought a mirror to hang here...and then not too long after that that I decided I didn't want another mirror in this room. I began to hang wreaths and that was great...as long as I had a wreath for that particular holiday or season or could make one with items I already had. But, storing wreaths is a bit of a pain and I discovered that I didn't have a Christmas wreath I wanted to hang here so I brought this mirror out and since I don't have a Valentine wreath either, rather than make another wreath, I am leaving this up yet again.

I actually love this mirror made from an old tin ceiling tile and it gives me just the right surface on which to hang my glittery banner I made a few years ago.

 

I currently have the dough bowl under the table in the living room. It is full of my vintage Valentines. I am hoping to move it to the dining room table as a centerpiece but it is still a work in progress so I am leaving it here for now.

I am in love with the chalkboard backed sequin heart that the little kids and I made last year. When the light reflects off of those sequins it is so pretty and this truly was a no-brainer project. Paint the canvas, draw a heart, fill in with sequins and you're good to go!

I am off to get a bit more of Christmas packed up while I move on to enjoy the decor of the this holiday. I have so much more to show you so I will be back. Stay tuned.