My Daughter's Blog Site

Please check out my daughter's blog site!! (I've included a link, plus it's now on my blog list.) She is so very creative and has included many tutorials to help you attempt her crafty projects

She also has links to some great websites that offer supplies, ideas or other tutorials. I think you will enjoy her blog.

http://blackwyrmdesigns.drupalgardens.com

There is a tutorial on how to make this beautiful birds that Danielle made for my Mother's Day

gift. I use them on card envelopes and I have used them as gift tags, also.

This is the tin she created to "house" my birds. Be sure to check out her tutorial on this wonderful way to use empty tea tins!!!

Pool Plans.....Outdoor Kitchens!

The pool has been ordered! And now, the fun begins!! We ended up with a rectangle shape vs. a kidney shape....you get more pool for your money!! :) So, aesthetics vs. the almighty dollar!! We decided that the dollar would have to win this fight!


The pool will be a 16'x36' rectangle with 4' of brushed concrete around the entire perimeter. We will then continue the concrete around 3 sides of the pool to about 8'. That additional 4' will be stamped and dyed. On the 4th side of the pool (the one that faces the house and yard), the concrete will extend out to about a total of 12'....we haven't quite decided on how far out that will come out. It will also be stamped and dyed.


The pool will be solar heated....(to be explained in a bit) and will have a salt-water system. No chlorine for this redhead!! My 'sensitive' skin (heehee) can't take the harshness of chlorine.


Our hard work will come into play for the "pavillion" we want to build. It will house the outdoor 'kitchen', fireplace and seating area. The roof of this building will provide the space needed for the solar panels.


So, folks, now the design phase begins! Any suggestions or ideas? Here are some favs that I've found....






























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Container Gardening......

It's that time of year again.

I'm trying to figure out what to plant and where to plant it! We've had all of the mulch and old landscaping fabric removed. My hubby wouldn't let me 'play' in my flowers last year. When I had pneumonia, a common fungus was also found in my lungs. They said it is found in mulch. So----he has banned mulch.

My solution to all of this is to use different containers to plant my flowers, annuals and perinneals. Do any of you have this type of flower gardens? I have scoured the internet, books and stores looking for ideas. There are soooooo many containers out there!

At first, I thought I would use the wooden barrel type of containers and line them with landscaping fabric before adding the soil. Now? I've seen so many types of containers that I'm confused. Should I use fiberglass? Plastic? Metal? Wooden?

Nothing is ever easy!!!! We get nothing but sun all day long, so I will have to give some thought to the material the containers are made from. Metal would most likely get too hot and cause an artificial 'drought' to any plants! Actually, I will have this problem with most containers I have looked at. So, I will have to give some thought to insulation and watering the plants.

What are you planning for your gardens this year? Do you food garden? Or, like me, do you hit the farmers markets for fruits and veggies? I am only brave enough to flower garden.....but I don't feel guilt over it. I feed butterflies, hummingbirds, bees and birds with my flower gardening.....so I still contribute!! :)

Spring Cleaning

It's that time of year when our grandmother's voice speaks to our heart, mind and soul....."You must "spring clean"! What does that mean? I think this was the time of year when windows were washed, storm windows removed and screens put in their place. Well.....most of us don't have to worry about that chore (*whew*) so I am thinking of what other tasks should be completed. One task that no one should overlook is to change out or clean your HVAC (furnace/air) filter. I am completely guilty of forgetting that area....and it's important in my house with 4 kitty-cats and 2 dogs! Fur will clog that filter sooooo fast and then your HVAC system loses its efficiency ! I do think washing windows---inside and out---is a fabulous idea! In theory. I really do! So, if you have the time or the energy-----have at it! And while you're at it.....would you like to head on over to my house and do mine?? Another important (and timely) item is to check and change the batteries in your smoke alarms! This is something that should be done in the fall and spring. Just an easy way to "schedule" (and remember) this lifesaving task. Speaking of fire safety......one thing most of us never think of is the dryer and the vent system. This is one area of GREAT concern! Lint can become trapped or build up, creating a serious fire hazard in the home. You can buy Vent Trap (and hose) cleaning systems at Lowe's or Home Depot----any hardware store in your local area. Or, if you're like me, shop online! Here's a link to Amazon.com and their page of cleaning systems. http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=dryer+vent+cleaning+brush&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=3282509057&ref=pd_sl_9c04y4u9q5_b Other than the above tasks, I feel that Spring Cleaning means to deep clean your home, organize, stow away all remains (and evidence) of winter, and ready the house and family for the warmer weather. And that is exciting enough for me! I will gladly jump into the foray of cleaning products, Rubbermaid storage containers, glass/window cleaners, mops and brooms!! BRING ON SUMMER!!!! For me and my home, we will be ready!! I hope you will "happy dance" in the sun and warmth with me!!!!

Childhood Memories.......

I had a visit from one of my 'best' childhood friends yesterday. She and her husband were in the area playing 'tourists' and we met for lunch. What a fun day.....catching up on our adult lives.....reminiscing about our childhood.....and disbelieving our current ages!! We had "lost" each other, only to find ourselves on facebook....searching. Thirty-years is so much history to cover! But, we'll spend the next thirty-years being present in each others lives and 'catching up'!!

What do you remember about your childhood homes? Do you remember colors? Fabrics? Furniture style? Are there colors that invoke warmth, comfort, and good memories, therefore---you use them in your own home? Or do you avoid hues that color your memories? I think of shimmering royal blues and olive greens and see a childhood living room....drapery fabric billowing from the breeze and open windows.

What were your favorite colors when you were a child? Were you allowed to surround yourself in 'your' color? Did you have your own 'space'? I see the 'hot pink' walls of my childhood bedroom and remember how much fun it was to be allowed to choose my own paint color! Do you foster that creativity in your own children?

Just some things to think about today......how does color influence your life? Or better yet....does it influence each day?

Friends......

So, today was spent with friends. Why was it so exhausting?? Why do I feel as though I didn't speak a full sentence in 5 hours?! I'm serious! Do you ever have those kind of souls in your life? The kind that you love, you know there's a heart of gold just beating away in their chest, but they just SUCK the ever-lovin' life right out of you! Any of you have those?

WHEW!

I'm tired. It was a beautiful day that started out cloudy and looked like the sky was going to open up and pour rain down upon us and our cookout. But, it didn't! The sun pushed those clouds right out of our way and shone down upon us....with a smile! The food was typical, pedestrian 'cookout' food.....lots of mayonnaise and charred meats. The kids were running around, screamin' and yellin', getting into trouble, and even doing a bit of arguing and bickering of their own!

I'm home now.....in my living room. Which, by the way, is close to being done! The touch up paint is done now. THAT was a chore all by itself. My quart of touch up paint was in a different finish than the original paint! So.........after I had already painted a bunch of spots, I had to go buy a gallon of the color in an Eggshell finish. I pretty much had to re-paint most of the entire walls! Ugh. But----it's done. I have just a few pieces on the walls.....that is all I want. As I clear out my house, I find that I am doing the same with my life.....clearing out the clutter and only leaving the LOVE.

I have a new rug to put in the living room. It's an oval, braided rug in browns. Trying to keep the floor simple and using accents and color in the other accessories in the room. Red is the accent color of choice. I just love it with this "Blue Shamrock" color. It's a bit cottag-y and I'm in love with the comfort of that decor.

Now I have to switch gears and come up with some design ideas for my daughter's new home. I've purchased a few decor items, have the color scheme and a pretty good idea of what I want it to look like. There is one area of "concern"......the floor plan is pretty open and the living room 'flows' into the dining area of the kitchen. A chair rail starts in one corner of the dining area, but just ENDS where the "living area" starts. So, how to paint that? How to deliniate that wall? It's an interesting challenge. Do I use fabric to create a small 'divider'? Do I use molding in a vertical fashion to create a 'line'? Hmmmm.......time to do some research.

I am wondering if others notice a correlation between their life and their home?!? Does clutter bespeak of a "cluttered" life? Does an empty room echo into the empty life? Does a multi-purposed (but disaster) of a room convey the confusion that is felt in its human?? Any answers out there in this wired-together world??

Heart & Home

In the ever present desire for a welcoming and "me" living room, I will be once again perusing the aisles of the TJ Maxx Homesource Store. Ever since Sasha passed away and I removed his big bird cage from the room.......it feels empty and echo-ey. Sad. So------everything came off the walls! Nail holes have been filled, touch up paint is just in the can.....waiting to be used. But, as is the rest of my life, I feel unsure, unmotivated and so confused. Is this 'shell' of a room representative of how I feel inside? Am I the only 40-something woman who feels this way? I married sooooo young, had my girls by the time I was 2o yrs. old. I have been married for thirty-years and I have two grandchildren. I am ONLY forty-eight years old. Wow.....am I that old??? When I gained weight over six years ago, I truly believed that once I had the diagnosis of hypothyroid and was given medications to take, the weight would fall right off. Oh how naive I was! I don't think I've lost a single pound since my diagnosis. Nutrisystem, Weight Watchers, Medifast, Atkins......you've all failed me. I should be your case study, Jenny Craig!! I go to the gym and workout like a fiend. I truly have 'guns'!!!!!! Lots of fat, too...... The only thing I have lost is my self-esteem.....and I have learned that there are 'loved' ones in our lives who DO judge, who DO contribute to the self-loathing. It's been not only a depressing experience, it's also been eye-opening. But, it has left me lower than low. I continue to walk around, pretending to be happy. Giving and loving to everyone around me. I smile. I laugh. I hug. And I can hear my own heartbeat echoing in this empty shell. If I work on decorating the living room, am I just pasting a smile on the walls of it??? Is it a facade? Or will it be the beginning of my own healing....peeling back the old layers and finding my new ones? It is time for me to be decisive, time to take action.......can I? Will I?