Some Gorgeous Rooms

I recently was at a website that showed simply gorgeous rooms—living rooms, kitchens, bedrooms, family rooms—but all just gorgeous designer rooms. I thought I'd share a few of them today, along with a few other photos. More will definitely come later. Plus I'm guessing that some of you get tired of my stories so I'll spare you today.

This is one of the most elegant blue rooms I've ever seen. I'm sure there are more elegant ones, I just haven't seen them yet.

This is one of the "other" rooms. I think it's a darling area of a small kitchen though.

I'll never stop loving red checks, especially in bedrooms. This one is stupendous in my opinion.

I like this room but the wallpaper, while beautiful, is a turn-off for me. It's simply too busy a room for me. But it is a very pretty room in an old farmhouse.

This dining area in a kitchen is so adorable. I love everything about it. Quaint, yet gorgeous.

 I've seen this house in a magazine and the pillow on the chair is one she bought from me when I was selling on eBay. I loved her home.

Another elegant sitting room, office or library. I think I like the chairs more than anything though.

A shabby chic dining area. Love her punch of pink roses and wreaths for color.

A kitchen I might learn to love to cook in, if I was really interested in cooking, that is.

That window is what drew me in. It makes the room much more elegant.

I just love the colors in this room. The sofa looks comfortable and that's important to this woman.

A room by Charles Faudree, a famous interior designer. I fell in love with his decor in the 70s and 80s. He's a master at the art of French decorating.

It looks like a bedroom in the background so this must be a sitting room for the master suite. Gorgeous though.

Again, the wallpaper is a bit overpowering for me but it looks like a room by Sister Parish, a very famous designer. I don't know if it is, just looks like her style. Very homey and family-oriented in an elegant way.

My favorite room in all the ones I've seen. Well, one of the top ten of my all-time favorites, let's say. The pink and white striped chairs, the pink print sofa, the scroll of the table legs and the vivid yellow curtains. Just a comfort room for me.

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Tidbits:

Every year, the U.S. produces enough plastic cling wrap to cover the state of Texas.
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Linking with NMH Open House Party.

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 Decorating Frenzy

I've been on a decorating frenzy for several months now but, truthfully, there is only so much decorating I can do to this house. It's our "forever/retirement" home and a smaller size so how much decorating can you do to 1800 s.f.? But I'll continue to do what I can as long as I can. I get tired of the same thing after 6 or 8 years and feel the need to update or, at least, move around some things. It will be less and less the older I get but it will be done.

But that brings me to blogs I see from time to time where the women are changing things every year or so. How do they do it? Are they that bored? Do they have unlimited funds? I don't see the need to do it every year or two. Seems wasteful to me. Also, are they never happy with what they have? I'm a happy person and love the things I do have. In our 52 years of marriage I have probably changed furniture maybe 8 times. That's with relocating to new places and homes. I don't think that's a lot. But to have the same house and change every couple of years just seems a waste to me. But I'm having to buy higher and higher sofas just to meet my butt at my age! I don't get up off the sofa as easily as I used to when I was 45. ;-)
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A darling spot on the side of a house for a relaxing nap.

More pots of pansies.

Love this idea of hanging stuff needed to hurry out the door very near.

Beautiful roses and hydrangeas.

A queenly bed. Love the bed linens.

Pretty evening purse.

Got any extra teacups? Here's how you can display them.

Clever way to put lights up.

Gorgeous French chair, luxurious sofa and a pail of roses.

A little wire basket to hold mail.

I just loved this photo when I saw it.

You can actually buy these shoes for kids. Look up Joy Folie and check out their cute designs.

Just a cozy corner in a bedroom.

Pretty handmade chenille pillows.

Yes, I love this lamp also!!

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Tidbit:

Our state is #1!
Continuing with the "N" states on what makes them #1 in the nation at. (Terrible grammar but I couldn't think of a better way to put it.)

Nebraska:
Livestock
Domestic violence

Nevada:
Gold mining
Home foreclosures

New Hampshire:
Lowest percentage of people living in poverty
Skin cancer rates for women

New Jersey:
Millionaires
Population density

New Mexico:
Lowest cancer rate
Children who drink alcohol

New York:
Charitable donations
Longest daily commute

North Carolina:
Most diverse population of salamanders
Lowest teacher salary

North Dakota:
Lowest rate of AIDS
Lowest rate of seat belt use


Sir Francis Bacon died of pneumonia. He was experimenting with freezing a chicken by stuffing it with snow.
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Some very important news for Bloggers you'd better read here now!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

A few announcements here for those of you who aren't aware:

You'll want to go visit my Pinterest page as I now have over 8,300 photos on there that aren't on here yet. You'll not be soooorrrrry, I promise. ;-)

Then the biggest announcement is from Google: Google Reader will no longer be available starting July 1, 2013. I suppose you won't see it on any sidebar after that. That's a huge announcement for us bloggers who have followings. You'll no longer be able to find us on Google Reader or follow on Google Reader. It's going to be gone. We, in the blogging community, have been searching for other places to find and "store" the names of our favorite blogs. I've selected Bloglovin' and it looks pretty good, nothing like GR but it will do for me as I don't follow hundreds of blogs like some people do. I simply don't have time. You could just "bookmark" them on your browser but that won't tell you if there's an update on a blog; you'd just have to click to each one daily. That's a hassle I know but there's nothing to be done about it. It's very disappointing to us who have blogs as we won't be able to see who follows us but it's also disappointing to those of you who love to read updates on blogs. But with Bloglovin' I think that it will be able to do all Google Reader does: updates each new post, you can see followers if you're a blogger. AND I'd advise you to get busy on it immediately because if you have many blogs to follow, it just might take you a while to transfer them all over to the new application, especially if you're not computer savvy.

But Bloglovin' updates every single time you post and you'll recognize it on your browser, where an "add-on"(a little white cross on a blue background) is put up in the corner. So to join and follow or be followed just click on the button up on the right just above my About Me and it'll take you to Bloglovin' to follow me or to start using it for your own followers. Really quite simple. Here is a screenshot of my browser navigation bar but it's really very tiny. You can see it on the far right hand side with the red line I put on there to mark it for you to see. Very easy. That little cross will have a number in it for each that are updated that day.

I hope this helps you. I've tested many before deciding on this one. Some are, to me, a bit complicated. This one is easy.
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The other day hubs was home and answered the phone. I was in the potty and he brought it in to me sitting there. I told him I didn't talk on the phone while sitting on the toilet! There are some things I'd rather do in peace and quiet and not be bothered. I'm sure some of the teenagers and younger moms and dads do it as it's socially acceptable. It isn't to this woman! I want my privacy some places and the bath is one of them.
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Blog hopping the other day from my granddaughter's facebook page. She has designers and things that she would like for her house on her facebook page. I clicked on a few things but when I went to this one blogger who is a decorator for homes I noticed she had 87,000,000 hits on her page!!! 87 million. Biggest hits on a page I've ever seen. WOW.

Then I found some really popular blogs. Here are the numbers of the most popular blogs' followers. I'd hate to see how many "hits" their pages get.
117,043
147,321
155,818
165,288
172,502
256,793
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I love the color in this stair landing.

And in this living room.

I'd wish for an island like this one but hubs would then insist I cook more. Ain't happening, chicks!

A flower vignette with gorgeous blue bottles and containers.

Red is very "in" in this room. Love it.

Pretty entrance.

A gorgeous English garden and old stone home.

This is another gorgeous living room.

Pretty stone steps with violets.

More roses for ya!

I think this is a stunning photograph of zinnias.

Another gorgeous dining area in a lovely cottage.

And this one also!

A cute idea. Paint some old suitcases found at garage sales and stack them for a bedside table or a living room side table. I have done this before and loved it. Suitcases costs me from 50¢ up to $2.00 at garage sales. Very cheap.

My kind of porch or patio.

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Tidbit:
The Tennessee capitol building's architect is entombed within its northeast wall.

Tidbit:
Our state is #1!
 
K, L and M states

Kansas:
Helium manufacturing
Obsolete bridges still in use

Kentucky:
Horse breeding
Deaths from smoking

Louisiana:
Affordable hospitals
Gonorrhea and syphilis

Maine:
Youngest median age
Per capita rate of asthma

Maryland:
HIgh school students who take college-level courses
Movie bootlegging

Massachusetts:
Adults with college degrees
Government health care spending

Michigan:
Navy bean production
Unemployment

Minnesota:
Per capita rate of preventive colonoscopies
Tornadoes

Mississippi:
Wetland restoration and preservation projects
Obesity

Missouri:
Sport hunting
Meth labs

Montana:
Number of restaurants per capita
Drunk driving
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Linking up with NMH Open House Party.