Arbor House Lane

What's Going on in the Basement

2012-01-19T08:46:00.001-06:00

I have been wanting to change my basement for awhile.

We are currently using this room for watching TV, working out on treadmill and elliptical/bike, storage and this is where I do a majority of my sewing.
Whew, there sure is a lot going on in this space.

The room runs the whole length of the house and is approximately 12x30. We have a room on the other side the same size that is for laundry and storage. I would like to organize the other side and make it more useful.
In the middle space we have the kids playroom, small desk area and a storage closet.

In need of some inspiration I went to Olioboard and played with some pictures.

This is where I would like to take this room.

Lots of WHITE.

The walls in the main TV room have already been painted an off white that I currently have in my office.

I would like to put down some kind of wood floor with a few area rugs. The diamond pattern I would like to paint in the stairwell.

Ok, now I have told you I have a thing for tables and chairs.

Most of the furniture I have pictured I already own and is currently in the room in a slight variation and I may have left out a table or two and a couple or five chairs.

Hey, a girls got to have choices!

The red accents are for Mr. M. my fireman. I would like to hang his plaques and add some fireman memorabilia on shelves.

What do you think?

Have you ever visited Olioboard and designed your own room?

Inspiration

2012-01-12T10:29:00.001-06:00

My word is INSPIRATION!

One aspect of blogging that I just love is all of the inspiration I see each day.

So many ways to be creative.

Sewing

Painting

Creating

The week after Christmas, while the house was quiet, the kids being amused by new toys, I took the time to look for new inspiration.
Ah Pinterest
and
New Bloggers

I found several new bloggers

Thistlewood Farm
Clear Blue Sky
The Inspired Room
A Country Farmhouse
Peeking Thru The Sunflowers

and

Some found me.

I was very surprised to find a comment that I along with several other wonderful blogs had been given an award by Holly from Down to Earth Style.

Thank you so much Holly.

Now instead of picking a few bloggers, I would like to thank each of you that I visit daily and visit me.
Oh, I may not always be able to leave a comment or join in your wonderful parties of the day, but,

I am stopping, enjoying, laughing and sometimes crying right along with you.

This award is for you!

So, when was the last time you went looking for someone new?
Someon who inspires you?
Someone who makes you laugh?
Someone who you can empathize with?

To Puddle or Not

2012-01-10T08:15:00.002-06:00

I am still working on that window problem.

I finally found some fabric I like the color and not too expensive.

So do you thing this is too much puddling?

Yeah, me too.

Actually that is extra fabric to make two more drapes.

I was lucky enough to find faux silk in an off white at believe it or not Walmart.

So far I have 20 yards.

THAT'S A LOT OF DRAPES TO BE MADE.

I am thinking of doing pinch pleats.

This is not how I am going to hang the drapes.

I will install dark color drapery rods above the window.

I have these hanging in the living room to see if I like the look of the pinch pleats or just leave them plain.

I think I am only going to put up one panel per window to let in lots of natural light.

Every time I ask Mr. M. if he like the look, I get the 30 Rock Liz Lemon exaggerated eye roll.

AND

"what was wrong with the other window coverings?"

That's OK, he is used to me changing things up a bit.

So, what do you think?

To puddle or not?

Pinch pleat or plain?

I am joining My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia for Tuesday's Treasures.

Let There be Light

2012-01-05T08:21:00.000-06:00

Christmas and New Year's has come and gone.

Now we are left with WINTER.

One of the hardest adjustments I have to make after I take down my Christmas decorations is the lack of LIGHT.

With ten trees there does tend to be an extra amount of light, who knew.

So I go through light withdrawal.

I am trying to do something about it, but I kind of have this love hate relationship with my windows.

These windows are in each room of the house, except third floor and basement.

HUGE!

Really, they are the same size top to bottom as a door.

That means lots of light, good, yes sometimes.

Bad when you are trying to watch TV during the daytime.

Love-the light

Hate-trying to find curtains, drapes or blinds I like.

These windows are in the dinning room.

I took down the roman blinds I have in all the windows to help me with my light withdrawal.

However, I do NOT like the transom at the top, I am not sure what about it bugs me.

I have tried from the beginning to cover that part of the window.

First there were the shabby chic balloon shade from Rachel Ashwell, but then they seemed to frilly.

Finally I found the roman shades at IKEA.

Love them, however they were recalled.

NOPE, I did not take mine back.

I even tried to find more for our addition.

These are the roman shades and a ruffled drape I have in the office.

If the ruffled drapes were long enough and I had enough of them I would be happy!

Now I am thinking I would like to put up simple floor to ceiling drapes in white linen.

BUT

The cost of buying drapes for 20 windows is a bit much, especially for the ones I want.

So, for now the windows will be bare, and let in lots of light.

How about you?

Are you going through after Christmas withdrawal?

Favorites of 2011

2011-12-29T13:31:00.001-06:00

I thought I would join in on the BEST of 2011.
I am joining Debra from Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday.

My Favorite Vintage Inspiration Friday post is about my kitchen and you can read about it here.

My kitchen is the main room of the house and where we spend the most of our time.
I also think it shows that you do not have to have an old or vintage home to have the VINTAGE feel.

I also checked my stats and here are your favorite posts from the past year.

For the Love of Cabinets.

TWINS!

and

Lost in Creativeness.

You may notice that the slipcovers seem to be a favorite.

Mine too!

I am hoping to sew a few new covers this year too.

I see a lot of painting in my future too!

A few other of my favorite posts from 2011.

Just Not Me.

A Day of Love.

Sign Love.

It was fun looking back through past posts.

This year I am hoping to do lots and lots of painting, sewing and crafting.

Oh yeah and GARDENING.

We only have a dusting of snow on the ground right now, but the seed catalogs have started coming in the mail and I will soon be climbing the walls just waiting to get outside and dig in the dirt.

How about you?
Have you taken a look back through your past posts?
See any favorites?

I will also be joining Cindy from My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday.

Courtney from French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday.

This Post is Brought to You By

2011-12-27T07:22:00.000-06:00

Christmas is officially over.

I am itching to put away my decorations. As much as I do like them, now I want them gone. I have never been one of those people to keep their decorations up longer so that Christmas melded into Valentines Day.

I have new toys that I want to start using, a wonderful sander for finishing some painting projects I have waiting in the garage. A new buffet for the basement family room. I want to get back into the sewing grove and use up some of the wonderful fabric I have waiting for me.

One such new toy is this wonderful laptop I am writing this post with. Mr. M. was my darling Santa this year and I am enjoying it so. I am also sitting in his Christmas gift that my sisters and I bought him, a wonderful massage office chair.

Oh honey, you forgot to take your chair to work. I think I forgot to remind him.

As we get ready for the New Year, I always think of things I would like to do differently. Not so much as resolutions but changes. I try to make them fun, such as painting the basement or any other room in the house that may need to be freshened up. Doing more creative projects with the kids. More visits to the Science Museum, Zoo, Aquarium and other local attractions. Actually planning a vacation for our family.

I also try to be more organized each year, I buy the extra buckets and bins for storage and I label them and put them in their spot.

BUT

Then I forget where they are and I tend to not be able to find what I need, and end up getting duplicates. So, I try, each year to do better, only now I do baby steps because there is just to much mess involved with a creative mind.

Oh and that other thing I try each year.

I think this year a treadmill might help.

AND

Not eating leftover Christmas cookies for

breakfast

lunch

and dinner.

So, what about you?

Did you get any fun toys for Christmas?

Are you a LEAVE it out kind of person?

Any good resolutions for the next year?

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

Christmas Around the House

2011-12-23T06:02:00.000-06:00

I thought I would share some random Christmas pictures with you.

For many years my sisters and I would gather at my home for an ornament party.

We each would bring the supplies and an idea to make an ornament.

My kitchen always ended up a mess, but that was the evidence of creativity.

The ornament above and below are a few of many ornaments my little sister painted.

We made lots of snowmen.

The wreath on my office door.

My office tree did not change much.

Vintage paper chain.

Ornaments I made last year with vintage paper and bells.

The topper is a vintage hat and a black bow.

In the hall entrance I have hung a few of my favorite things.

Snow angels, I have two large ones in the house and 5 little ones that hang on the white trees.

I try to keep them out all winter, in Buffalo that means they can usually stay until Valentines day.

This is a floral basket I have in my kitchen on the basement door.

I add different accent color flowers for each season and change the ribbon color.

Basically I am ready for Christmas, I was up late into the night wrapping presents so I would not be

so rushed today after work.

Mr. M. is off today and I know he will be a great help picking things to do off my list.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas or Holiday that you celebrate.

Most of all, enjoy the ones you are with!

Red in the House

2011-12-17T11:09:00.001-06:00

I thought I would show you that I do have color in my home besides white.

We have a new tree in the living room, one of those prelit folding trees.
I do like those aspects for sure, I love that it is so tall and not as full,
but I do miss my funky huge tree.

I have at least four cardboard boxes full of ornaments on this tree alone.

I always say there is room for one or twenty more.

Some extra red ornaments for the living room mantel.

Mixed ornaments in an ironstone bowl on the coffee table.

Santa in the hall.

And another.

More Santas.

My favorite Santa on the living room mantel.

I love that he is winking.

Better be good!

Colorful ornaments hanging from the chandelier.

Yep, more Santas.

I think these are my favorite ones of all.

Checking his list.

I hope you enjoyed some of my RED and WHITE.

Today we are going to a Christmas party at my brother-in-law's.

Lots of fun and merriment and eating.

I made some yummy Christmas trifles to take along.

I will share pictures of them tomorrow.

Have a wonderful weekend!

White Christmas Around the House

2011-12-13T09:45:00.001-06:00

I am mostly done decorating the house for Christmas.

I thought I would share some pictures with you.

I have two Christmas trees decorated in whites, the kitchen and the dinning room.

Snow flakes and snow balls hanging from the kitchen chandelier.

Dinner by Christmas tree light.

Wreaths that I usually leave up for the whole winter.

Paper whites in the windowsill.

I love the little snowmen.

They usually stay out longer after the holidays.

Living in the North East you have to get used to the snow.

This is the entrance to the dinning room from the kitchen.

Wooden houses my sister gave to me many years ago, before I was so into white.

I love my little snow girls.

Silver ornaments and frosted silver pine cones hang from the dinning room chandelier.

The candles on the table are one of my favorite finds this year.

Timed candles that will light up at 5:00 each night and stay lit for 5 hours.

Stockings I prettied up last year with buttons, ruffles and bows.

I should be done decorating, I wish I could be,

but I am a crafty person and I am constantly coming up with new ideas to make something.

I find it hard to sit and do nothing.

Today I am making fudge and cookies, mmmm, butter nut balls my favorite.

Are you like that?

It's party time!

I will be joining Kathleen from Faded Charm for White Wednesday.

Debra from Common Ground for Vintage Inspired Friday.

Cindy from My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday.

Teacher Gifts

2011-12-11T14:40:00.001-06:00

The kids and I made gifts for their teachers this past weekend.

I had seen some like this on Pinterest.

They are really simple to make.

We used little bottle brush trees, glass jars, little beads, ribbon, glitter, spray glue and some fake snow.

Each teacher will get a gift made especially for them.

Each box includes a snow globe, poinsettia pen and a picture frame ornament.

The kids had fun helping me make them and they get so excited when they give them to their teachers.

I have been making these pens since my oldest son first went to school.

I decided to make myself one too, mine has a little snow man that won't melt.

I am joining The Girl Creative for Something I Whipped up Monday.

What's That SMELL

2011-12-04T11:04:00.000-06:00

The joys of living in the country.

Sometimes it means you will come into contact with wild animals.

Last night on their nightly walk, Mr. M. and Cooper our Golden Retriever,

came in contact with one of those wild animals.

A SKUNK!

Before Mr. M. knew what was happening, the dog had grabbed the skunk.

TO LATE!

The damage was done.

At 9:00, Mr. M. was scrubbing the dog with a recipe I found on the Internet.

hydrogen peroxide

baking soda

dawn dish soap

This morning I went out to check on THE DOG.

HE STILL STINKS!

More googling, Mr. M. found a pet store that will let him wash THE OFFENDER in their store if he buys the shampoo there. Mr. M. says that is much better than doing it in the cold.

I have a feeling that if Mr. M. walks the dog in the dark, he will be sure to carry a flash light at all times.

Just a funny story I thought I would share.

As for me, I am home with a sick little guy.

We are finishing up the decorating and watching lots of Christmas movies.

A few of my favorite movies are; White Christmas, The Holiday and Home Alone.

How about you, do you have a skunk story or a favorite Christmas movie?

Finally Home

2011-11-27T13:24:00.000-06:00

I have had this print for at least 10 years.

It had been waiting in the basement since the day I bought it.

Waiting for the right frame.

I found a frame several years later but they did not cross paths until about a year ago.

Then the print spent the next year at my father's home.

Waiting to be framed.

I finally brought it home Thanksgiving day.

I hung it in the living room.

I couldn't be happier, my picture is finally home.

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.

The Christmas music is blaring in my house and little children are wandering around singing the words they know. We are decorating the BIG tree today and then I am almost done with my decorations.

Next week will be spent making lots and lots of Christmas cookies.

I have several new recipes I found on Pinterest that I am going to try.

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.

Thankful

2011-11-24T05:35:00.001-06:00

My everything.

The children helped me list all the wonderful things in our lives that we are thankful for.

I wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving.

A Few Finished Projects

2011-11-22T19:59:00.000-06:00

I AM A LITTLE TREE HAPPY!

My home is full of 10 happy trees for Christmas.

This past weekend while the kids were enjoying a movie I was able to get a few projects on my wish list done. I posted about them HERE.

Their version.

Mine.

Theirs

Mine, although I think it needs a little something.

Pinterest inspiration.

I am loving the ruffles.

Two done, three more to make.

I am sharing my whites with Kathleen from Faded Charm for White Wednesday.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving.

My Charlie Brown Tree

2011-11-19T15:51:00.000-06:00

I must admit, every year when I first unpack this tree from the box, I just look at it and say to myself "What are you thinking! This is the ugliest tree ever."

Each year it looses more needles than a real tree that has been sitting in the house for a year.

See! I wasn't kidding, and that is only when I take it out of the box.

It sheds all the time it is up.

Then I plug it in.

Ahhhhh

Then I remember.

I love this tree.

After adding all of the decorations I love it even more.

This is my kitchen tree.

Do you have a Charlie Brown tree? Have you started decorating or am I the only crazy one?

No family members are allowed to comment!

Don't forget, there is still time to enter HERE for the chance to win MyMemories Digital Software.

My Memories Digital Software Giveaway!

2011-11-15T12:31:00.000-06:00

I want to share with you

MY MEMORIES the Amazon #1 rated Scrapbook Software.

I was lucky to be chosen to host a give away for the software program My Memories Suite, an easy to use digital scrap booking computer program. They offer so many choices, different papers, embellishments, tutorials, free kits and so much more.
It is hard to know where to start.

This is a scrapbook page I created as a calendar for Grandma.

A scrapbook page to frame for a special Birthday Boy!

Many people think all you can do is make scrapbook templates,
but there is so much more!

You can make books, calendars, cards, tags and more.

I am thinking this is perfect for Christmas gifts!

Visit MyMemories to see what you can make.

One lucky winner will receive My Memories Digital Software!

As a special for all of my readers, they will give Share the Memories code that provides a $10 discount off the purchase of the My Memories Suite Scrapbook software and a $10 coupon for the MyMemories.com store-$20 value.

There are four chances to win.

Visit their website at www.mymemories.com and choose your favorite digital paper pack or layout, then leave me a comment telling me which one you chose.

Follow their Blog-MyMemories
Like them on Facebook

Follow them on Twitter- mymemoriessuite

I will give one more chance to win, spread the word on your blog and get a fifth chance to win.

Make sure you leave me a separate comment for each of the chances to win.
I will pick a winner in one week on Tuesday November 22, 2011.

Good luck to all.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like.........

2011-11-12T09:14:00.000-06:00

Yes, I think you know how it goes.

It even SNOWED yesterday!

Now that I am working three days a week, I know I do not have time to do it all.

However, that does not keep me from trying, so I have learned to start a little early.

With the help of my littles and Mr. M. we pulled all of the Christmas containers out of the attic.

And

I have three littles trees decorated.

With the promise that they will not turn them on until Thanksgiving.

We are all kind of getting in the mood.

I have been trolling through Pinterest looking for ideas.

These are beautiful ornaments I would like to make.

I am making some new stockings for the new mantel in the kitchen.

I see lots of ruffles, bows and buttons.

Decorating ideas for the front and side door.

Now that we have garage doors, I have to make the side entrance more presentable.

I have the perfect vintage sled in the basement that will be perfect for this look.

I love the look of the green and white.

These boxwood wreaths are beautiful and I just love the square shape.

I have one I made several years ago using an old frame, very easy to do.

I always let my boxwoods get overgrown for this very reason.

A perfect project using the sleeves of the sweaters I made pillows out of.

Every year I cut down fresh greenery from my mother-in-laws evergreen trees.

They will stay fresh all winter long and this will look perfect on the front porch.

How about you?

Have you been looking on the Internet and magazines for some decorating ideas?

I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend.

As for me, I am headed off to Menne's, an amazing nursery for decorating ideas and to pick up a few Amaryllis and Paper Whites.

The Boy Draws AGAIN

2011-11-05T07:45:00.001-05:00

I wrote a post last year HERE about my oldest son and his drawing.

He still is.

And

He is getting even better at it.

A couple of weeks ago, while in the garage puttering around, my son drew a picture on a piece of wood. Knowing the wood was going to be painted, I asked my son to redraw the picture for me again on paper. But, this time he drew in marker and not pencil and it did not have the details, so I kind of forgot about it.

Well, the following weekend said boy was grounded in his room, too many misbehavior's in school.

A little time away from Saturday morning cartoons brought out the creativity in him.

He brought down a whole page of ALIENS.

(hey Sara, did you notice he spells as good as his mother)

These new pictures have depth that none of his other pictures have had before.

He is learning and teaching himself how to draw better.

I can guarantee you, he is not learning this in 4th grade art.

YES, my son is only 9 years old.

I know I can't.

How about you?

Can you draw better than a fourth grader?

He is now working on a project for a school competition about diversity.

At the request of his art teacher.

He has told me that he wants to work for George Lucas and create new Star Wars figures.

I told him that is a good plan.

BUT, he has to pass fourth grade and pay attention in school first.

I am not too worried about him.

I have a feeling he is going to be just fine.

A Spooky Night

2011-10-31T05:55:00.000-05:00

Saturday night was our Annual Costume Party!

We had a spOOky great time.

Mr. M. was a very handsome Charlie Chaplin.

They were dying to get into the livingroom.

This coffin served as a coffee table.

I have to say my favorite touch was the bunch of roses for the deseased.

For the party, I turn off all lights except orange light, black light and candles.

There was a fog machine in the garage to set the stage as they arrived.

Halloween in the kitchen.

Be afraid of things that go bump in the dinning room.

I really did end up lining one of the coffins in red satin.

Even the bathroom got batty.

I have to say, I think decorating the bathroom turned out to be the most fun.

I glued over twenty small bats from the ceiling and the walls and the large bat hanging from the

ceiling was awesome.

The official greeter for the party.

The Condemned signs were borrowed from a great Halloween inspiration,

Adventures of Reovating a Brooklyn Limestone.

Miss witch lead the way.

We all had a great time.

I have already decided next year we will have a Halloween party for the kids.

Tonight we dress up again to take the kids trick or treating.

We have taken our kids to the same area for the past eight years, and it is the best location,

the families get so into Halloween that all of the children have such a good time.

I hope that all who like to celebrate, a Happy Halloween,!

Halloween Inn

2011-10-24T06:03:00.001-05:00

The Inn is almost ready for ready for guests.

I have been busy working on Halloween.

Mr. M. helped me put the new mantel in the living room.

A simple bat project from last year.

Skeletons everywhere.

Last year my cherub lamps had black masks, this year I made them each a witch hat.

The eyeballs are on the wall.

The Boys are on the front steps to great my guests.

Mr. M. helped me make his and her coffins for the dinning room.
Tomorrow I am lining them with velvet.

The witch peeking out in the back, why she is the guest of honor of course.

The details, they are the most important, they are what my guests remember the most.

I hope you are enjoying fall.

Whites in the Dinning Room

2011-10-12T06:19:00.000-05:00

Where they belong.

I finally did it.

I removed all my rose china and pottery from the huge pine cabinet in my dinning room.

I may be getting ready for Halloween, but that is not really why I did it.

Just an excuse to get it done.

It was the last real area that had my roses in it.

Now that there is not as many pieces inside, I can display my favorites easier.

Don't worry I did not pack all of them.

My favorite pieces are in the office cabinet.

I did manage to pack away four bins in the basement.

I kind of thought that once I started putting my collected white pieces and silver that I would deplete them from the rest of the house.

Wrong!

I guess I had more collected than I thought.

I am happy with how the cabinet looks now.

It is more ME!

This little cow silver butter dish is one of my favorite finds.

Button candles I made for my old shop.

How about you?

Do you surround yourself with what you love or hang on to some things just because?

I am joining Kathleen from Faded Charm for White Wednesday.

Arbor House Lane Home Feature

2011-10-10T06:00:00.001-05:00

I just wanted to say thank you to Melinda from Alabaster Rose Home and Designs and

The Vintage Inspired Home.

Melinda is the first blogger to Feature me from Arbor House Lane.

I am just so honored to be considered a Vintage Inspired Home.

If you want to see more, make sure to visit The Vintage Inspired Home.

As for me.

I am up to my eye balls in Halloween.

Here is a sneak peek at what the kids and I have been up to this weekend.

Witches always need a place to hang their broom!

These are simple paper bats I cut out of paper and put on the wall.

I borrowed the idea from here, after finding the picture on PINTEREST.

If you want to see more of what I pin on PINTEREST.

Crows just say Halloween to me.

The biggest change will be in the dinning room.

I packed up all of my rose china from the pine hutch and put it into storage.

That's right no roses in the dinning room.

I will share more photos of the dinning room later in the week.

I am sharing my simple Halloween decorations for Tuesday's Treasures with Kristin from My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia.

How about you?

I hope you are enjoying Fall.

Fall Weekends

2011-10-08T07:55:00.000-05:00

Last weekend we took the kids for our annual visit to the Pumpkin Farm.

It was a rainy day and we figured that it would be slow, but we didn't figure it would be almost empty and the vendors went home early.

Oh well, we decided to stay, and they gave us a voucher to come back this week.

Two weeks ago we went to Letchworth State Park for a family get together.

It is a beautiful time of year and the weather turned out to be perfect.

We enjoyed hiking along the trails.

I had to keep reminding the little one;

NO RUNNING!

There was plenty of food and even a playground for the kids to play on.

The falls were just beautiful, almost as much as my daughter.

This weekend Mr. M. is away for work again.

I am trying to get the house in Spooky order.

I love how the rat tail is dangling.

Crows are everywhere.

Glue gun blood, my favorite to use for Halloween.

Yes Karen that is an eye ball, a candy one.

It is starting to look a little SPOOKY around here.

I also wanted to say, I think Witchy poo has been casting a spell on my computer.

It seems I am not always able to post a comment.

I write the words, then when I push the publish comment.

POOF, it disappears.

I have heard others are having this problem, so I am hoping Mr. M. the REAL computer guy will help me when he gets home......pretty please if you are reading this.

Only 30 Days till Halloween

2011-10-02T08:55:00.000-05:00

Did you know?

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays to decorate for!

Today we took the kids and picked out their costumes.
Yes, it may be a tad early, but, I have LOTS to do before the special day arrives.

Oh my home has been busy with activity;

unpacking boxes full of skeletons, bats, witches and pumpkins, OH MY.

BOO!

I am also preparing for our 3rd Annual Halloween Costume party.

The invitations are made and ready to be delivered.

I am currently working on new decorations for this year.

How about you?

Do you decorate for this holiday?

ARE YOU SCARED OF GHOSTS AND GOBLINS?

Fall Stalks

2011-09-18T11:29:00.002-05:00

While the Mr. is away, the wife will play!

Now that the weather has become cooler, I have been more in the mood to do things around the house.

Weeding the flower beds.

Planting mums and a few transplants.

Decorating the house for fall.

I bought some corn stalks and decided today would be a great day to enhance them.

AND, make a huge mess on the kitchen floor.

I love how the white and dark brown look together.

A simple burlap bow.

The poor dove doesn't know there is a crow at the top waiting for Halloween to come.

A good friend of mine showed my how to enhance my corn stalks.

She used to sell these in her shop for big bucks, thanks Nancy for teaching me how to make mine.

Now I couldn't imagine putting out plain corn stalks.

I added a 2 foot long button garland.

I am going to make another corn stalk for the back deck using the traditional colors of fall.

I think this one will be my favorite, I may have to make one for the dinning room too.

It is a beautiful sunny day so I have work in the garden to do.

Oh, the kitchen mess is still there, I will get creative after dinner again.

I hope you are having a great day too.

I am sharing with Kathleen from Faded Charm for White Wednesday.

Debra from Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday.

Cindy from My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday.

Fall Gardens

2011-09-15T10:50:00.000-05:00

Flowers from Arbor House Lane Gardens

I just love the colors in this flower arrangement.

This time of year I try to bring in as many of the blooms as I can before frost.

I love how the roses have this last bloom time in early fall.

This is what we see out the kitchen window.

I just love the colors of the roses and hydrangeas.

You may remember that I planted a new flower bed this past Spring.

We had and intruder!

All summer a HUGE pumpkin vine grew, it almost took over the whole flower bed

This is some of the plants from the Spring garden I planted.

They are happy plants and I should be rewarded next year with lots of flowers.

This is a new flower garden Mr. M. and I planted last weekend.

We moved two snowball bushes from another flower bed where they were starting to outgrow their home.

I filled in with some bushes and plants left from the Spring flower bed.

Next year the bushes will be full of white snowballs.

White Clematis on the Arbor.

Fall clematis is one of my favorite flowers.

They grow very tall, bloom in late summer to early fall and have tiny white flowers.

The best part is that they smell amazing.

This clematis is covering my wild rose bush.

This white Rose of Sharon blooms and re-blooms throughout August and September.

A great thing about this bush is that it produces LOTS of babies.

I will transplant a few babies to make a beautiful hedge row next year.

I am always thinking where my next flower bed will be.

Speaking of planting, there is a car load of mums that need my attention.

I have lots of work to get ready for my fall decorating.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you are all having a wonderful week.

Back to School

2011-09-06T14:17:00.000-05:00

I think if you are quiet you can hear mom's yelling all over.

Why?

Well of course, school has started for most children!

Today my husband and I took our youngest son to his Kindergarten orientation.

Celebrations are to be had, our last child entering school.

As we waited for the bus to arrive to pick up the two older kids, we practiced, on how to make friends.

Children do not always find it easy to talk to other children.

So, when my oldest son was getting ready for his first day of school, we practiced.

"Hi, my name is Chase, what's your name? Do you want to play?"

And we discussed the three important rules of school.

1. Listen to your teacher

2. Make friends.....this is where practice helps.

3. HAVE FUN!

For about two weeks we practice these three rules and how to make friends. It helps me feel better about sending them off to school knowing that they can turn to the kid: sitting next to them, in line, at the lunch room or even on the playground and make a new friend.

I know this has helped over the years, now that my oldest is in 4th grade he can walk into any situation and make a friend to play with. By practicing the simple sentence; hi, my name is ......., what's your name, do you want to play. It makes it easier to role off their tongue and they do not have to think about it.

I had to do this with my husband when I was pregnant with our first child. He would go into the Credit Union to cash his pay check, and because it is one of the Credit Unions where he works on their computers, they would always stop him on a Friday to look at a problem. This would always delay him from coming home at a normal time and infringe on our weekends. So, I came up with a simple phrase that he could repeat over and over until it rolled off his tongue every time they asked him to look at their computers.

"Hi, my name is Chris." No, just kidding, he would say "I'm sorry I can't stay, my wife is pregnant and I have to get home. Call me on Monday and we will set up an appointment."

I really did make him practice that every Friday before work, and it did work. By using, the wife is pregnant excuse he was putting the blame on me, and I did not care because I wanted him at home.

So next time you see your child hesitate at the playground or in a situation when they are with other kids, remember they may be shy, teach them how easy it can be to make friends.

I hope everyone is having a great day.

I know I am, you know what I am listening to?

SILENCE!

Happy first day of school.

2011-09-03T10:17:00.000-05:00

GO BILLS!

We were given an opportunity of a lifetime.

My neighbor asked if we would like to take the kids to a Buffalo Bills game with her?

YES!

I have not been in about 16 years and the cost of taking our kids meant we most likely would not go in another 16. Lucky for us, we just happen to live next to a retired Bills coach.

He was waiting for preseason games to be over so they had extra tickets.

Wow!

50 yard line!

Pre-season or regular, the cost to take 5 people to a football game is crazy.

Let's put it this way, a bottle of water was $5.00. Are you kidding me.

Thank goodness we were able to bring snacks.

I wish I could say that everything went smoothly, but sadly to say, the littlest guy hurt himself before we even got to our seats.

We made a visit to the first aid center and were given a few ice packs.

All of the noise, colors and some twizzlers took his mind off the pain.

We did have a good time and I am so glad my kids were able to experience this.

Thanks neighbor!

I wish I could say they won.

Flea Market Finds

2011-09-02T12:40:00.000-05:00

Gotta love Flea Markets!

Last Sunday I visited one of my favorite flea markets.

It is just a small one that is only 10 minutes from my home.
I am usually lucky enough to find a treasure or two or more.

Isn't that white bench cute?
It is for the kids to use in the kitchen when they are watching/helping to bake.

I found two neat bowler hats to add to my hat collection.

One might even come in handy for a Halloween costume.

As you can see, one was an actual Stetson.

A couple of vintage linen table runners with crocheted ends.

These cute candles with sheet music I could not resist.

This cool green multi drawer cabinet.

As much as I do like green, it is pretty worn.

I am not sure if I am going to paint or cover in vintage book pages.

I am sharing my treasures with Debra from Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday.

Cindy from My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday.

Courtney from French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday.

That's what I have been up to, how about you?

Are you linking to any fun parties?

A New Toy

2011-08-31T22:15:00.000-05:00

This may not be new to many of you, but, I have just discovered.

PINTEREST!!!

Oh my gosh.

If you have not visited you must.

Then when you have looked at all the wonderful pictures, you will want to join.

And when you join.

You will want to sit and pick out pretty pictures to add to your boards.

Away!

In fact, I found some of my own pictures had been pinned.

Go here to see some of my boards.

What have you been pinning lately?

Fall is on It's Way

2011-08-26T05:48:00.000-05:00

Well, at least in my mind it is.

I have no complaints about how the summer has turned out, well, maybe one,

baseball season is just too long.

Anyway.

I have already begun the thinking process of fall.

In fact I made a trip to one of my new favorite shops,

The Flower Barn to get some candles, mmmm.....Pumpkin Spice, and Autumn Harvest.

I will share pictures of the shop in one of my posts next week.

I have also been rummaging through my faux flower supply.

I found this really neat wreath idea while trolling through blog land.

I'll be darned if I can find the picture now.

If I find it again I will definitely give credit.

I remember it was on a picture frame, it just so happens I have a few extra in my basement for just such an occasion.

No, it is not crooked, that is the way I will hang it on the door.

I just love the detail on the frame.

I am not so sure if I like the way it looks on the front door, not to worry though.

I will find the perfect spot for it.

Now I have to clean up the mess I made in my office.

Problem with being a crafty person, there is always a mess that has to be cleaned up.

I am joining Debra from Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday,

Courtney from French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday and

Kathleen at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday.

I also want to let you know that it is not too late to enter Debra's giveaway!

Make sure to stop by and visit some great blogs.

So, tell me, are you a messy crafter?

Better Than a Breadbox

2011-08-23T09:38:00.004-05:00

So Simple!

I have seen these great pots with french writing on them on the blog Heaven's Walk.

Make sure you stop over and visit Laurie, she has a simple tutorial on how you can make one too.

Heaven's Walk pot

After seeing the picture above by Laurie, I knew I had to give it a try.

So, last weekend I bought some Mod Podge.

I reverse copied a graphic from the best place to go, the Graphics Fairy.

I had bought this grungy white bread box at an antique shop months ago,

I thought it would be perfect to use for my project.

This is what it looked like in the drying stage, let me tell you that is the hardest part; waiting for it to dry overnight.

But, I did.

I just love it.

You may notice a difference in the words.

The first one I pulled off and decided to try again, like I said, simple.

How do you like my bread box now.

Oh, and it is kind of like painting, I am looking all around the house for something to put graphics on.

I am thinking of what kind of Halloween graphic I can use.

Oh yeah, I am already working on my Halloween projects, come on people, I only have two months to get ready, and we all know it will be here sooner than we think.

I am sharing my bread box with;

Thanks for visiting, now what are you going to make today.

I am off to paint another treasure I happened to find at the flea market this weekend.

For a Daddy far from Home

2011-08-20T08:06:00.000-05:00

At the request of Mr. M. I am posting some pictures of our children.

He is out of town working.

We miss him so!

Mr. Bullrider keep yourself safe.

What You Want it to Be

2011-08-19T06:26:00.000-05:00

In a post I did last year I talked about going home.

I went to the home I grew up in.

An old farm house that is over 100 years old, most of it anyway.

The man whom had the house built was a supervisor in the railroad and he had the workers spend some of the work at his house.

There once was a driveway lined in cobblestones, pathways in the grass leading to the, at one time "cow house."

There still stands a screened in patio with a cobblestone fireplace, that housed many a party.

That house I grew up in.

My dad was a school teacher/weekend cattle farmer.

My mom was a stay at home mom, she did not work outside of the home until I was in my late teens as a Real Estate agent.

But, that was not all she did.

She knew her antiques, we went to a lot of auctions and garage sales.

I grew up around vintage and antiques.

My mother sewed slipcovers to cover the ugly sofa she bought cheap at a garage sale. She upholstered the wing back chair she bought at an auction.

She painted or striped the furniture for the house.

The house I live in.

I love.

I tried to recreate some of the details from the home I came from.

Wide floor boards, crown moulding, large moulding and trim around the windows and doors.

Mismatched furniture in every room.

I learned to paint (I am not a striping kind of gal) I like my WHITE paint.

I learned to sew from my mother.

I sew slipcovers to cover my vintage furniture, to make it more ME!

I upholster dining room chairs.

I use vintage as much as I can.

I am my mother's child.

I live in a farm house of my dreams.

I am sharing my new/old farm house with;

Thanks for stopping by, remember it is only a box.

It is all up to you what you put in the box to make it what you want.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Just Not Me

2011-08-14T11:41:00.002-05:00

When my grandmother passed away earlier this year, she made sure each of her children and grandchildren were given something from her.

Me, well I got this really neat vintage basket.

The only problem was the color.

It just is NOT me.

Now, I did think about what I would do with the basket.

It is large and heavy duty, perfect for storing whatnot's.

But, I just could not bring myself to use it.

This weekend I was in the garage painting all of my new treasures.

Of course, while I am waiting for one project to dry, I tend to wander around with paint brush in hand looking for something else to paint.

I spotted the basket.

Mmmm...

So I did. I painted it!

Now before you get all upset about me painting a treasure from my grandmother, you must know

Grandma was notorious for using what you have.

The basket had already been painted once.

I think she would have approved of my inner slipcover, being an amazing slipcoverer that she was.

And lastly,

why have something in the garage because you don't like the color when you can paint it, make it even more pretty with some fabric and ruffles and bring it in the house.

I just love my new/old basket.

Thanks Grandma!

So, what are you waiting for?

GO PAINT IT, YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO!

That's for all you out there who delay. Do so no longer.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you are all having a great weekend.

Partying with;

An Afternoon at Sally's

2011-08-04T18:40:00.000-05:00

I did a little shopping!

While my kids were enjoying their last day at Summer Rec., I went to visit my friend SALLY.

I think she knew I was coming because I found some great pieces.

A bounty for sure.

I think my favorite is the large wooden box, it is going to be perfect for storing my outdoor cushions.

I love the iron legs on the basket.

Won't this make a great plant stand.

This sweater is for winter sewing projects, a pillow perhaps.

A key, well, good for just about anything.

I love all the little details on this cute end table, legs, handle, two tiers, just all of it.

I am thinking white with maybe some BLUE?

Yeah, I said blue.

I will not stop trying to like the color blue in my home.

This is my reading list for the weekend while we are at the beach.

I finally used a gift card from Amazon to order these three books.

That was my day.

How about you?

I am sharing my new bounty with Cindy from My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday, and Debra from Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday.

Random Whites

2011-08-03T11:53:00.001-05:00

My girlfriend and her family came to visit us last weekend.

So, of course I did a little rearranging.

I did some tiding/a little cleaning.

Which means I was also taking pictures.

Here are some random whites for WHITE WEDNESDAY

I am sharing with Kathleen from Faded Charm.

I love all of the different textures and variations of white.

Dark against light.

Green, another color you will find throughout my home.

Shells for summer memories.

Candles to light at night.

This picture is just so me, silver, mirror, green, buttons and white plates.

I hope you enjoyed my randomness.

Be sure to stop by and visit all the other wonderful bloggers joining for White Wednesday.

I am sharing my whites with Courtney from French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday.

A Day at the Beach

2011-08-02T12:57:00.000-05:00

Spur of the moment we decided to go to the beach last Sunday.

Lake Erie in Angola.

I couldn't have asked for a better day.

The weather was perfect.

The kids had a blast.

Mr. M. relaxed.

He even said, "I could do this all summer"

Well, well, well......looks like we are on the hunt for a cottage to rent.

Of course, it will have to be for next year, most cottages are booked for the rest of the year.

Guess where we are going this weekend?

Yep, the BEACH!

In fact, I may have been looking for some cottages FOR SALE!

I wouldn't mind having a small place to visit every weekend.

Heck, I even told Mr. M. I would even give up some of my gardening.

ONLY SOME!

A girl can always dream can't she!

How about you?

Did you have a fun weekend?

Debra's Design Challenge

2011-07-30T18:24:00.000-05:00

We have all heard the saying;

"two heads are better than one."

Well, we just might have a CHALLENGE, design challenge that is.

What if there were an unlimited heads thinking with/for you?

Who doesn't have a space/room/area that they don't need a little help decorating?

Debra from Common Ground has come up with a unique idea.

I don't know about you but, I am taking my camera to the basement, I need some ideas for creating a

cozy family room that is child safe.

So, come on, go visit Debra, grab a button and put on your thinking caps, we have a new party to prepare for!

Garden Whites

2011-07-27T06:18:00.000-05:00

My poor garden has been neglected.

I have not had/taken time to water nor have we had much rain.

I have been giving the plants with the spent flowers a haircut and now my garden is at the ugly grow out stage.

Funny though, the colors on the plants and bushes that always seem to be in bloom throughout the seasons.

Can you guess?

Did you say WHITE?

I am so happy to have the privilege to join Kathleen from Faded Charm and all the other wonderful bloggers for WHITE WEDNESDAY!

Oh yeah, I'm back.

Then you would be right.

My white hydrangeas are in bloom.

They are so hardy.

I have brought some in the house, I love how they look in the ironstone pitchers.

Rose of Sharon.

Cone flower.

More fluffy hydrangeas.

I think this little garden might be my favorite.

I packed a lot in there. Pea gee hydrangea, 2 white chairs with mixed white flowers, phlox and another white flowering plant that I am not sure of the name.

I just love how these urns turned out.

I will definitely try this plant combination out again next year.

So, I haven't exactly managed to kill off all of my plants this year.

BUT, thinking like a gardener, it just gives me reason to plant some new plants in the fall and spring.

How about you?

Any WHITES in your garden?

Thanks for visiting, I hope you didn't trip on any weed piles while you were here.

Make sure to stop by and visit Kathleen.

Where I Create!

2011-07-23T09:52:00.001-05:00

As stated in my last post, I killed the machine.

I wish I could say that we were able to get all of the information back, but no, not yet at least.

We have sent the hard drive to an outside company to see if they can retrieve the information.

Oh well, no sense in dwelling on what I should have done and consider it a lesson learned.

I am LATE to a party!

WHERE BLOGGERS CREATE with Karen from My Desert Cottage.

Let's get this PARTY started!

Seeing as I had all the extra non-computer time, I finished rearranging the room and fluffed a little more than it would have been last week.

This picture is what I see when I peak into my blog room.

This room is small, only 9x11, but I know how to pack a room with furniture and not make it too crowded.

This room is always full of light from three large windows.

To me it is just perfect!

This is the desk where everything is done.

I have everything within arms reach.

My favorite pin board for inspirations.

Collections of my father's paintings turned into Christmas cards from years past.

Some of my mirror collection and a chicken wire frame to hang important notices.

My favorite fairy Clara, named so because she looks like my grandma.

She dances above my head hanging from the light fixture.

Beautiful Hydrangeas from my gardens and a stray baseball that I simply can't seem to get away from.

Important message on the chalk board.

Stay cool by swimming and BACKUP the computer!

This cabinet stores a variety of china that I can not bare to part with but do not decorate with.

I also use it to store paper for the computer and school supplies for the kids.

I love the look of this topiary, who happens to be in need of a haircut.

Green and white my favorite color combination.

A simple secretary I bought at a garage sale and painted white last year.

The drawers are packed with some of my craft supplies that I like to keep handy for when I get in the mood to create something.

I make sure to have plenty of buttons on hand.

This is the first slipcover that I made.

I am glad to say that I have improved, but I love this couch.

It is a great place for the kids to come and chat with me while I am on the computer.

Now I am off to join the family for some early Sat. morning cartoons.

Thank you for stopping and visiting my blog room.

Make sure to close the door when you leave.

Lesson Learned!

2011-07-18T12:03:00.000-05:00

No pictures just as short post.

I learned a lesson this week.

NEVER rearrange your blog room the day before you are supposed to post about it for

WHERE BLOGGERS CREATE 2011 blog party!

NEVER move your computer hardware until you have turned off your computer.

Yep, I did!

Now Mr. M. the computer guy is working on trying fix our hard drive and recover our info.

ALWAYS BACKUP YOUR COMPUTER!

All I want is my pictures, nothing else is important.

So, I am sorry for all of you that came to visit because I was supposed to be linked up to

My Desert Cottage for WHERE I CREATE.

Make sure to stop by and visit all of the other bloggers and see where they create.

If I get my computer back I will do my post.

Oh, and in case you are wondering, YES I AM GOING THROUGH BLOGGER WITHDRAWAL
BIG TIME!!!!!!!!!!!

Treasure Hunting

2011-07-10T14:47:00.000-05:00

Today I went treasure hunting at a small flea market in Gettsville, not too far from my home.

I met up with my girlfriend visiting from CA, she and I spent most of our summers together as kids.

We got to the flea market early so we wouldn't miss out on too much.

I know I didn't!

LOOK AT THE LOOT!

It is hard to choose what my favorite is.

I found these vintage wooden type blocks.

I was only going to buy my favorite #'s and letters, but I took a chance and asked how much for all?

SOLD!

(run away before she figures out how much I probably should have paid)

A small bag of assorted jewelery for making tags.

A silver ice bucket.

BUTTONS, BUTTONS, LOTS OF BUTTONS

Two tins FULL of buttons.

I will be sorting tonight during movie night.

Not one

but

TWO white iron urns!

OH YEAH HAPPY DANCE!!!!!!!!!!

Vintage English ironstone pitcher.

Great colors on a vintage quilt from one of my favorite vendors and a good friend of mine.

I also found a crocheted edge runner and a chippy header trim that will make a great shelf.

I think my girlfriend had fun too, even though she has to worry about breakage and shipping, she did manage to find a pretty English rose teacup and saucer to take home.

I am glad we went early because it left the rest of the day to lounge by the pool.

I hope you are having a great day too!

Dressed for Parties

2011-07-08T11:16:00.002-05:00

I hope everyone is having a lovely summer!

I have been busy as I am sure many of you at this time of year.

Lots of baseball, swimming, gardening and birthday planning.

I thought I would share some photos of my home as I took them just minutes before my guests arrived for our annual 4th of July party and my son's birthday.

I literally cut these roses earlier that morning.

I love the combination of all the different colors of roses.

Look Sara, I made my 4th decoration.

The little piece of wood I bought while on vacation with my girlfriend and I had this final picture in mind. I am so glad it turned out perfect.

The dinning room is one of my favorite rooms in my home,

sadly to say it also one of the most unused rooms.

But, it still looks pretty waiting.

Here is the cabinet that I finally finished painting with the chalk paint.

I did wax it with clear wax but no distressing, daily life with three children will take car of that.

Here is a peak at the new fire pit area, it is just beyond the path leading from the brick patio.

We had a wonderful day!

The weather was perfect, the food was plentiful and the air was filled with laughter.

Family parties just can't be beat!

I am happy to be joining Debra at Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday.

Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday.

And Courtney at French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday.

Make sure to stop by and visit these lovely blogs for inspiration.

I want to thank everyone who stops by and have a wonderful weekend.

Time Away

2011-06-29T20:00:00.000-05:00

No need to send out a search party, I'm not lost in the gardens either.

I spent the weekend in Pennsylvania visiting my BFF from high school.

To say that I had fun would be an understatement.

I laughed so much!

It fed my soul!

I wish that I did not have to wait another year until I go back.

Oh, and we shopped, and shopped and shopped, until we were both exhausted.

I found some wonderful treasures that I thought I would share with you.

I was able to find plenty of WHITES to add to my collection.

In fact, it seemed that we found almost everything we were looking for, and it became kind of a joke.

Some pocket watches for me to make some neat necklaces with.

I found lots of great architectural salvage, self brackets and corbels.

Pitchers, platters, buttons and wood oh my.

A cheap matching set of tureens just waiting for me to put my plants in.

I just love the little pitchers.

The column base is not too bad either.

I am thinking the shutter will work great for a new sign.

I think this pair is probably my favorite find.

Don't you think they will look great in my gardens.

One thing I kept looking for was a swan at a reasonable price.

No luck.

BUT, look what I found in my back yard yesterday a beautiful white goose.

Way better than a swan any day, I have this sinking feeling Mr. M. is not going to let me keep him.

PLEASE, PRETTY PLEASE!

Oh and I found out that you have to go through some interesting towns to get to Paradise.

I hope you all are having a wonderful summer!

I wish I could come and visit more, but my son's birthday is this weekend and I have so much to do.

Happy 4th.

In Bloom

2011-06-20T21:15:00.000-05:00

My shrub roses are in BLOOM!

Pink everywhere!

Not a Fan of Baseball

2011-06-17T05:57:00.001-05:00

Now that we are in the middle of Spring, gardening is always on my mind.

Weeds, they demand attention!

BUT

The biggest weed I have found in my way to a beautiful maintained garden.

BASEBALL!

Yes, I said it, the all time American sport is IN MY WAY!

Mr. M. plays on his fireman league, and the kids each play, and they practice.

COME ON FAMILY, MOM WANTS TO PLAY IN HER GARDENS!

I almost missed seeing my peonies in bloom.

I need Spring to slow down.

My roses are starting to bloom and I want to enjoy them before they are gone.

We skipped going to watch Mr. M. play so I could finish my planters.

This topiary is my favorite planter this year.

For now it sits in the middle of the brick patio, until I find the perfect spot for it.

Remember the dwarf trees I mentioned moving, well I finally got it done and I replanted the pair of planters on the deck.

Hopefully they will not have to be transplanted for a couple of years.

Last night we went to this guys Pre-K graduation.

He is going to be going to Kindergarten in the fall.

Well I hope you are having a wonderful weekend!

As for me, I am going to try to sneak in some gardening in between BASEBALL!

Flowers on the Deck

2011-06-10T06:17:00.000-05:00

Hello, I hope everyone is having a wonderful SPRING!

The weather has definitely been beautiful and I have been taking advantage of it, that's why I have been absent for the last week.

I thought I would share a special spot for Mr. M. and I.

I am not sure when it happened, but one day I pulled two deck chairs together and asked him to sit and help me decide where to put a couple of small trees that needed transplanting.

Ever since that day, this is where the chairs have sat and it seems that each night my husband and I sit down and share a drink, be it a refreshing ice tea or an ice cold beer.

BUT WE SIT!

We sit and look at the back yard, talking about what we are going to do the next day, or watch the children as they run around and play.

I came across a picture that I wanted to show you how far our house has come.

THIS!

This is what our home looked like as we were building it.

Yep, NO landscaping at all.

It was all farm fields before.

It is amazing when I see how much it has changed.

I know how much work was required because WE did it ALL ourselves!

This is some of the back yard.

Quite a transformation in 13 years.

It was not over night, that is for sure, and a majority of the flowers have only been done in the last 4 years.

Mr. M. would like to think that we are DONE!

Someone better tell him that he married a gardener and we garden for life.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Take the time to sit and enjoy yourselves.

I am sharing my gardens with Debra from Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday and Cindy from My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday and Courtney from French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday.

Thanks for stopping by to visit.

Oh, remember those trees Mr. M. and I were trying to figure out where to move.

Well, we still haven't, so I guess there will be more sitting this weekend!

ENJOY!

Progress

2011-06-02T20:33:00.001-05:00

I have been taking advantage of the great weather we have been having to get some projects worked on.

Remember that frame I showed you a couple of weeks ago.

FINISHED!

I dry brushed the frame with old white chalk paint and added a wood insert painted with chalk board paint. I love the detail of the frame.

Words soon to come "HOUSE RULES" necessary for a smooth summer while mom is at work.

Before and during the painting process of an antique fireplace mantel I bought at an antique sale.

Sorry for the odd picture, this sucker is heavy and I did not want the beveled mirror to fall out.

I can't wait to get it into my living room.

The garden before, just a pile of sand and some weeds.

It has already begun to look much better.

I was lucky to start with a fence and a wild white rose bush as my backdrop.

Add some dirt and plants.

This is the back of the garden as seen from the driveway.

I always try to add a path through my gardens for the children and myself.

I love to walk through my gardens early in the morning with a cup of coffee and see how my plants are doing.

But, I am not done yet!

I still have several groupings of plants that have yet to be planted.

And who am I kidding, the planting season has only just begun.

There is always room for more flowers.

So, that is what keeps me busy these days.

How about you?

Are you busy planting, painting, sewing, or are you relaxing?

Happy Memorial Day

2011-05-30T14:43:00.000-05:00

REMEMBER!

Those who have fought for us!

Snowballs in the Spring

2011-05-26T13:03:00.004-05:00

One of my favorite bushes is the Snowball.
They help to give our home that vintage old house look, even though our home is only 13 years old.

The actual name is Viburnum 'Roseum'

The Original Snowball Bush.

They can get up to 12' feet high and wide.

They like full to partial sun and are very tolerant to growing conditions.

I have them in every flower garden and around the house.

I love their old fashioned look.

This year is going to be a good year for these bushes, sometimes they can be affected by bugs and it just wipes out the whole bush, leaves and all.

This bush is about 11 years old and as you can see it is huge.

They turn from a limey green little ball to a big white ball of snow.

Just look at those puff balls, perfect for throwing.

When the petals start to fall from tree, I let the children have their Spring snowball fights. Nice thing about these snowballs, they don't hurt when you get hit by one. By the end of the fight there are white petals everywhere and you would have thought it really snowed.

So, anyone up for a snowball fight?

They are already pre-rolled.

I am off to the garden, the sun is out and I have flowers to plant.

Thanks for stopping by, if you want to see more gardens pop over and visit Fishtail Cottage for Cottage Flora Thursday with Tracie.

and Debra from Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday.

and Cindy from My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday.

One final note; I think we are all still having problems with Blogger and leaving comments. I tried a few and no luck, maybe they will have it fixed soon.

Just so you know I will try to stop by later. Alaina

This One Is For Karen

2011-05-22T11:39:00.000-05:00

My buddy Karen over at Ow, My Angst is not feeling well and she is also feeling down about not being able to get out in her own garden.

So, I thought I would share some more of my garden pictures from last year to help cheer her up.

If you were to visit me, I would gladly walk you around showing you my gardens, talking nonstop about my favorites and the ones that drive me crazy.

I am not the by the books gardener, I like to plant TOO closely, that way by the end of summer my garden is full each year. I do not trim at the end of the season so my flowers will reseed.

I even like to weed.

These roses are wild roses that can be found at the side of the road or in farm fields.

All of mine I dug up from the field behind us and transplanted. They are great climbing roses, I just wish they would bloom more than once during the season. I fix that problem by planting Clematis or another reblooming climbing rose.

Hardy white Hydrangeas that can stand full sun.

I try to transplant shoots that under root if that makes sense.

Sometimes I find that I don't like the way a bed turns out after a couple of years and I have to change things around. In this garden the ivy was taking over, solution, rip it out, dump new dirt on top and start with new plantings. Already this year I have added some perennials to this bed to help fill it in.

Karen I hope this brings you a smile.

Remember I am just over the border, so if they work in my garden, they will work in yours.

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Me, I am going to my father's home to celebrate my belated birthday with my family.

Yep, that means CAKE!

Flowers to Come

2011-05-20T05:21:00.000-05:00

I mentioned in my previous post that my gardens are doing well with all of this rain.

I thought I would show you some of the beauty that will be here in the next couple of weeks.

I am so looking forward to the blooms that are yet to come.

When Mr. M. and I started planting our gardens the year after we built it, I insisted on Bridal Wreath Spirea, one, because I love the white flowers and two, it would help make our house look less like a newly built home. They are around the whole hose and I have never regretted planting so many. I even put them in my other gardens I love them so.

In a couple of weeks my house will be surrounded in white.

There is a seat in every garden, to sit and enjoy the view.

Roses, roses everywhere!

The bird houses are usually covered in climbing roses or vines by the middle of summer.

If you enjoyed my gardens you should stop by and visit Tracie from Fishtail Cottage for Cottage Flora Thursdays.

and

Cindy from My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday.

Thank you for visiting, I am off to work in the gardens, a gardener's work is never done.

Special White Wednesday

2011-05-17T20:55:00.000-05:00

It's a celebration!

Faded Charm

100th Post!

Come and join us in the White Wednesday fun with Kathleen from Faded Charm.

I didn't always have white in my home, seriously, I once had a different color in each room.
But, I think I always, in the back of my mind knew it was the color I was most drawn to and wanted around me.

Due to rain, this past weekend I spent my days inside, painting with my new chalk paint and sewing new slipcovers. I had a very productive weekend. Not that I don't want the rain to stop one of these days, but I used my time indoors very productively.

New cushions for my outdoor seating.

I made these with an envelope closure on the back for easy washing, no need to pay for expensive Sunbrella fabric when cheap cotton duck will do.

My favorites are the cushions with the ruffles,

love me some ruffles.

The rain has also done wonders in my gardens.
Happy flowers in bloom.
Yeah spring!

The birds have filled all the white houses.

This frame has already been given the WHITE treatment and is now just waiting for a chalkboard insert.

These rainy days also gave me time to do some shopping. I was lucky enough to find a set of 4 chair cushions at TJMax my favorite lunch time shopping store. I think they look great with my vintage wooden folding chairs. Perfect for extra party seating.

White Wednesday was the first link party I ever joined, and even though I can't always join in each week, I always stop by to visit. Seeing all these other bloggers who decorate, appreciate and dare I say LOVE white too, made me feel more normal. Thank you Kathleen for giving us this great Link Party.

Thanks for stopping by, and don't forget to let a little white in your life.

Roses for My Birthday!

2011-05-14T19:47:00.000-05:00

Yep, it's my BIRTHDAY today!

The kids didn't have baseball this morning because of the rain.

So, what better to do on my birthday, but to go flower shopping.

We found some beautiful pink roses.

This was where the kids sand pile WAS.

It is going to become a new flower garden and fire pit area.

By the time I get done with it, this will look very different.

I may even try to put a new arbor in this area. Shhhh..........don't tell Mr. M. yet.

I have to do it in baby steps, first garden, then fire pit, then I ask him to build me the arbor.

Besides, he owes me, he is not here for my birthday. Bad luck, he was scheduled to work

last minute for the weekend. Now if only I can convince him to get me my Ikea sofa while he is in the area.

Now that spring is officially here, I will have lots of gardening to do.

I have a few dozen or so plants just waiting to be planted.

And just a few more.

Even though it has been raining a bit lately, it is really helping the flowers grow.

It also gives me some extra time to finish up some painting projects.

This is my painting project for tonight.

I am going to use some of my chalk paint, white this time, I still have not gotten used to the blue chair yet.

Thanks for visiting and I hope you are having a wonderful weekend too.