Summer and Winter

Summer is approaching rapidly in our state. Beautiful warm, 60s, for us. We'll be getting the hot weather soon enough but the 60s are my favorite temperature.

I love summer with all the roses, peonies, gardenias and hydrangeas. The garden looks so forlorn now but Love Bunny will be out there this week sprucing it up and pruning the rose bushes. He does grow the most beautiful roses. Summer? I do love the new growth and lush green lawn but I'd rather bleed than sweat, friends. Truly! I love the fresh salads from our garden and my air-conditioning. But most of all I love the summer fruits: watermelon, cantaloupe, strawberries. We are so lucky that we can get most of those fruits all year round except for watermelon and that's my favorite thing to eat.

But I also love winter. For one thing, I hate being hot. I love being cool. Another thing about winter is that our garage serves us well as a place to keep potatoes and they won't sprout. Also, I can keep cartons of Pepsi out there instead of in the pantry and it'll be cold enough when I bring it in. I love the butter being soft also. What are your favorite things about each season?
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A beautiful window treatment in a lovely bedroom.

I remember when we had mailboxes like this. Actually, when my parents moved to Salt Lake City in the early 1960s, we had a door with a mail slot. When I would visit them, I could always tell when the mailman had come with the rattle of the mail slot. I love that because I didn't have to go outside and walk to the mailbox in the snow like I do here in Idaho. Just very nostalgic for me.

Another gorgeous vignette in a living room.

This is another darling laundry room. See what you can do with almost nothing!

I'll have to tell you the story of when we lived in a house that was attached to another house similar to this but not the elegance of this, of course.

What a delightful gift shop.

I've wanted one of these for a couple of years but when I think about it, it seems a bit frivolous and can't bring myself to buy one. One of those things I can "live without." Definitely.

Another photo of laundry drying on a clothesline. Love it!

If this doesn't make you yearn for spring, then there ain't much hope for ya, chicks. ;-)

I'd still like a door on my pantry even though this is a lovely kitchen.

A cute way to hold children's things from school. I can see those trays done in chalk paint also.

A simply beautiful photo of roses in a dining room.

Ruffled lampshade, done very easily.

Exquisite china in pink and gold. Gorgeous!!!!!

A cute shower I'd love to have. I don't think you'd even need a shower curtain if the whole floor was tiled.

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Tidbit:
Theaters during Elizabethan times did not have toilets, nor did the plays have intermissions.

Also, Queen Elizabeth I outlawed wife-beating after 10 p.m.

Our state is #1!
Continuing with the "O", "P", "R" and "S" states and what each one is #1 in.

Ohio:
Library visits
Traffic tickets issued

Oklahoma:
Per capita use of electric and hybrid cars
Women in prison

Oregon:
Solar panels
Homeless population

Pennsylvania:
Covered bridges
UFO sightings

Rhode Island:
Drive-in movie theaters
Per capita illegal drug use

South Carolina:
Lowest gas prices
Strokes

South Dakota:
Lowest personal income tax rate
Per capita Facebook use
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My Quest for THE Pink Curtains

I have been looking for the "perfect" set of pink curtains for a room in my house. You know what I mean—nothing will do until you see them. So in trying to find them I have come up with all sorts of beautiful photos on the internet. I can't even believe some of the rooms I have seen, but I thought I'd share some of them with you.

While there is not pink in this room and I can't imagine how it came up—maybe because of the search for curtains—but I immediately loved this room.

I love how pink is taking the decorating world by storm. It's always been my favorite color and now it's considered acceptable. I've always considered it a color I'd like on my walls but only recently was I brave enough to paint my walls pink. They're not as pink as this gorgeous office though.

I can't even begin to believe how gorgeous this patio is. I wonder if it's a designer showcase house, photo shoot or a real homeowner actually did this. Stunning!

This is another photo that I'm not sure how it came up with the parameters I gave Google but I thought it was worth showing since it's a beautiful room.

I haven't always loved leather chairs, but I got one about 7 years ago and just fell in love it and won't be without one in my house ever again. They are cool in summer and warm in winter. My son disagrees but it is definitely the truth. I bought it for my hubby but guess who uses it the most? Yep, me. This photo is not of my chair; the next one is. But mine is so spacious I just love curling up in it and reading. I shall always have a leather chair but since they rarely ever wear out, I'll not have to buy another one in my lifetime...unless hubs wants one. ;-)

This one is mine...errrr, ours, I mean. ;-) And it's getting that patina that only leather can get. I can put leather oil on it and it looks new but I love seeing that well-worn look on it.

Another stunning use of unusual colors. Still beautiful though.

My hubby is a model train enthusiast (That's putting it quite mildly; he's obsessed!), so when I saw these little hanging railroad lanterns, they tweaked my interest. This room looks like it's an outdoor room but it couldn't be because of the upholstered chairs, so maybe it's from the grapes planted in a pot behind the chair. Definitely grapevines though.

Those pink curtains would be quite acceptable to me.

Love these bright pinks in this room also.

Yes, I also like these curtains.

But these are the ones I'm really wanting. Sigh. I just cannot justify the expense right now. I'm curbing my lusts! Yes, I truly am.

These were another favorite, but not quite what I'm looking for. Perhaps a bit too frilly.

Just thought this was a room many of you would like to see.

I also love this shade of pink for the walls. Another stunning room.

This room came up in the search also. I wonder if twins live in this room; otherwise, why 2 gorgeous cribs. I'm betting this is a designer showcase house.

A very cosmopolitan room even with the pink sofa.

Just a bit of pink with gray brings this room to my attention. Gray is my all time favorite neutral color. I love it. I'm not fond of beige because it looks dirty; gray doesn't. It looks elegant.

And yet another room that popped up within the parameters of my Google search, but I do like this room a lot.

This is a little girl's room but it could definitely function as a big girls' room!

My heart actually fluttered when I saw this room. Oooooh, my, how gorgeous.

These curtains were another choice but I wanted them pinker than this. I love the style however.

A room I could definitely live in. Colorful and beautiful.

Not my style but a very pretty room I thought you'd like to see.

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Here is the test to find whether your mission on earth is finished; if you're alive, it isn't.

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Photos courtesy of tumblr and pinterest.

The Curtain Caper

I've sat here trying to figure out a snappy opening but I'm too pooped to pop or think.

This is the 6th pair of curtains I've had for this window. I have never covered the small window with anything but lace because it's so small nothing will fit there and look right. Anyway, I bought this fabric online and got a fantastic price at $6.95 a yard for higher end fabric. I love the fabric. It's a pink, taupe and white stripe and very pretty. I almost shot myself making them and this is the story.

You would think by now I'd be able to make something without ripping it apart...3 times. Yep, 3 times I took it apart. I wanted 4 panels out of the 7 yards I bought. I'm no fool. I know myself and I always buy more than I need just in case. And just in case applies to ME. First the rod pocket was too small and it wouldn't go on. Rippppp! So after sewing 4 lengths together for 2 full panels I thought it was too full. Ripppppp! So I ripped the seam apart and made 4 panels, very looooong panels and redid the edges after ripping out the rod pocket. Ripppppp! I spent several hours on Saturday doing this and while Sunday is a day of rest, the curtains sat there nagging—yep, actually staring me down and nagging—to finish them up last night because this morning I had to go to PT again and the carpet cleaner was coming.

I need a vacation at this point from just reliving this experience! Still with me?

Okay, so I flipped them over, meaning I forgot the top, just let it go, and restarted from the bottom now. But I kept one with 2 panels sewn together and the other 2 just on the rod squished tight so you can't see they are 2 panels (one on the right in the 3rd photo below.

Now, if you're confused, just think how I was this past weekend. A job that should have taken just an hour or so took me 2 1/2 days. If you've lost count of how many times I've ripped them apart, just trust me. Even I've lost official count. But if you come to my house and try to see the bottoms I just might have to kill ya. ;-)

Last night.

Last night

This morning. I really do like them!

I put the ribbon and rose back up there.

Closeup of fabric.

Very close up of fabric.

But one serendipitous thing did happen. While sitting and waiting for the carpet man, Mario, to finish I decided to redo a few things—plus wash some sheets, but that's another story. These 2 candlesticks were too large for the candles so I decided to stick some tissue paper down there. Lo and behold, it looks just like a ruffle around the candlestick. I'm impressed by my ingeniousness!


They now grace my living room table.
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Unveiling the Living Room Now

Now, you know I can't stop once I'm on a roll, right? Okay then, once I put the covers on I noticed that there was a bit too much white in the room in that area. I love white and love those curtains, but it needed some color behind that sofa. I then put up the curtains I talked about here. I like it much better and will even more once I can get that Solartube in the ceiling. (I'm saving for it!) But before I show you the big photos of the sofa I thought I'd show you the fabric, texture and makeup of the slipcover up close.

So here is the room now. The curtains have a color in them that makes the red Thomasville chair go with it even if the photo looks odd. Colors aren't exactly true on monitors as much as in person.

And I also put this pillow that I bought at Ethan Allen 15 years ago back on the sofa. I like a mixture of pillows on my sofa and don't think it's too formal to put on there. Even if it is formal, I like it and that's what matters. :-)

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