Monochromatic Room

A pretty good example of a monochromatic room is just below. Most people are drawn to them because of the lack of a lot of color and keeping the palette in just one tone with lighter and darker hues of that value. While it can be just about any "color" variation it tends to be mostly in the beiges, taupe and whites and tends to soothe them but some people just don't prefer color as we would normally think of it. And there is nothing wrong with that at all. The room below I think is beautiful. I, however, prefer more "color" and there is nothing wrong with that either.

I do love the mix of plain and checked fabrics on the sofa. The honey pine of the wood brings a certain contrast and it looks like a comfy room.

The bedroom is lush with pillows and bed coverings. All in all a very peaceful palette to this style of decorating.

Another monochromatic theme brings rich style to this living room. The furnishings are exquisite and more formal, but still providing the luxurious comfort most people want in their homes. I love this room also!

This dining room with the upholstered chairs brings pizzazz to the decorating. And who wouldn't enjoy sitting at a table with a "rose tree" centerpiece?! Gorgeous.

More Country Decor

While it may not look "country style", it is definitely country decorating. A different flair perhaps but country all the same. The style and fabric of the sofa will make them lean a bit more towards the formal vs. the informal. For me, mix and match is the perfect style, but that's my preference. Others may adhere to the "same wood" mantra of decor. I like the mix for this family because it shows a little less formality. As the architect Louis Sullivan stated: "Form follows function." I follow that quote almost religiously, from watches to sofas to cars. I want it to "work" (function) before its "beauty" (form). Comfort is first and foremost in my decorating selection. I want everyone to "feel" comfy and relaxed.

I'd call this a bit more formal country than farmhouse country, but it is gorgeous just the same.

I like sumptuous bedrooms, pillows lavishly thrown on the bed, lovely linens to sleep on, foam mattresses with a feather or preferably wool topper and a gorgeous covering to top it off. I also like soft cotton sheets. I put 2 bottom sheets on our bed and then one on top with maybe a blanket for winter but not summer. Hubs and I like it cold while sleeping. This bedroom is one I could live in but I like mine better. ;-) A couple's bedroom is THEIR room and should be romantic and off limits for the most part to anyone other than the couple. I'm a stickler for this. Of course, this is my own opinion.

I'd call this the "All-American" living room. It's "cute" and I like it. I had a wood sofa once and it had a fabric that I'd call Aztec. It was truly lovely and I got all kinds of compliments on it. Even when we were moving it from San Diego to 29 Palms, Calif. and the new neighbors were watching us move in I saw their eyes when that sofa came off the truck. Yes, it was "awe" I saw in their eyes and was confirmed when we got to know them. It was the most unusual fabric I'd ever seen. That's when we lived in southern California and I was into my "Mexican Colonial" stage. But, personally, I'd never have another sofa with wood arms. Just too hard for me to relax on.

By now you're probably as tired of looking at this house as I am tired of posting pictures of it!! But I keep adding little touches here and there to make it "me"! And besides, I want to showcase a sweet lady, Bertie, who gave me the tiny chandelier hanging over my sink. (I've purchased the most exquisite items from this lady and she is a true friend to me and has never ever disappointed me with any of her items. She's a tiny little pistol!!! She IS! And I just love her.) Plus I also had a tie of hubs that was ready for the trash bin but decided to "showcase" it because I love that tie! So I just tossed it up on that shelf and there it stays until I tire of it. :-) I've also used pretty ties of his as an accoutrement to a hanging picture. I think, however, that I need one more shelf there somewhere. I have a coupon that needs using! ;-)

Old Green Shutters Redone!

I've been busy, chicks. Just take a look at what can happen when your hubby takes you out into the country to look at the trailer he will eventually buy! Yessssssss, a yard sale with the most wonderful old shutters for $4.00 for the both of them. Squeeeeeealing with delight again! I think next time he'll leave me home........but I can sure hide in the back of his Montero, can't I?!?!?!

My Kitchen Thrill

Love Bunny had a 7 am church meeting sunday morning and got home about 9 am. I had on clothes from previous day since I hadn't showered yet prior to church. He was in the kitchen and I walked in and went up to give him a smoochie and hug (Smoochies are what my youngest grandsons and my son call them, just in case ya ever wanted to know. ;-) I end every single call to them with "smoochies for the boys"!), and he took my t-shirt bottom and started pulling it up! Faaaast!! Maaaaaaaan, was that a surprise, but let me continue. He pulled it up to my neck and I gasped! In that split second I wondered what in the heck he was doing while he was still in a suit. Well, he bent over and then kissed me and I looked at him in wonderment and he said "your shirt." I looked down and had forgotten that saturday night I had a Weight Watcher's chocolate cake and while ripping off the plastic sheet on the top I lost control (It WAS chocolate, after all!!) and narrowly missed dropping it on the floor. It landed on my "chest"! But I'm setting ya straight, chicks, that I would've been on my knees.......licking the chocolate cake off the floor if my "chest" hadn't stopped its further descent!!! To prove my story the shirt is pictured below and it ain't pretty:

My Hubs, the Scouter

Yesterday I was reading a blog post about a hubby and kids building a fire in a pit to roast some hot dogs. It brought back a memory of Love Bunny and the day he.........well, let me start from the beginning.

We had moved to Idaho a few years before and our neighbors to our rear were an elderly couple named F and G, for the sake of anonymity. They were in their 70s when we moved here and they were never blessed with any children. They took us under their wings and thought of us as the youngsters they never had. Actually, she fell in love with Hubs and I was gettin' a bit concerned there for a while. When she had her teeth in she was pretty enticing, let me tell ya!

I'm including some pictures for you to visualize this. Our house was on a small street and on a corner where there was a private drive and there were 2 houses "behind" us. Our driveway was HUGE - enough that a Mayflower moving van could turn around in it without backing up once. So the back of our house looked into the front of those 2 neighbors. (See pix #1.)

Pix #1 Front and Back of house with "side" street and back driveway and garage.

In front of their house, but to the back of our house, was a blacktop driveway with a "garden" between. F & G put it in themselves so as to give them a prettier view and had some evergreen bushes in there. (See pix #2.)

Pix #2 That is their house through one of our back bedroom windows as seen on pix #1 bottom pix. Please enlarge to see what I'm talking about. Okay, now that I've thoroughly confused you, on with the story! It doesn't get much clearer, trust me!)

It was technically on our property. Actually, their blacktop driveway was technically on our property but just before we sold it and left that town we gave an easement to the owner that bought it after F & G died - a couple of years previously.

Anyway, the story continues.......

Love Bunny has been a life long scouter - Boy Scouts - and he's more knowledgeable than any man I know about "scouting" - and one day he wanted to go out in the yard and "control" the weeds. It starts getting frightening about this part of the story so you may want to plug your ears and cover your eyes, chicks!

He had just gotten a "weed burner" a little while before and was burning the little weeds out back. Around that "garden of evergreens" were some "weeds" so he proceeded to burn them Weellllllll, before you knew it the whole shebang was blazing! Hubs tried to put it out with the water hose out there but it would have NONE of that. The other neighbor was the town doctor and his wife started yelling and asking if he wanted her to call the fire department. (See pix #3. Her house is the one on the right with the truck parked. F & G's house is on the left behind the infamous "bushes".)

Pix #3

Okay, just GUESSSSS what hubs said......hmmmmmm?? Of course, nuuuuuu, he could put it out himself he says. Well, luckily, R - again for the sake of anonymity - the doctor's wife who ALSO adopted us(!) - called and the FD came with their BIG hoses and it was out posthaste. Hubs was worrying he'd be the one that killed F & G and just wanted to put it out before it reached their home - a very short distance from the blaze now consuming all the oxygen within a mile radius!! He was MIGHTILY embarrassed about the whole affair and his scout troop never did let him forget it. (Hmmmm, upon reflection, do I REALLY want him to take me "camping" Labor day?!??!) After the fire, Fern put in plastic, YES - PLASTIC, flowers!!! They stayed there until she died; I then ripped them out. Loved that old couple and they were a "HOOT"! I may blog more about the "Misadventures of F & G" someday. ;-)

I had more for this blog but I think that's about all you chicks can take for one day about the adventures of this family!

On second thought I have a captive audience of you so might as well continue with more "things"............
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I decided to keep that little towel holder I bought at a thrift store in Calif. last month and here it it in my guest bathroom. I'm so glad I decided to keep it. Looks great in there!

But now what in the heck do I do with all that stuff that I took down from the trellis?? I don't know. This may require a redo of my craft room AGAIN! Actually, I KNOW it is going to require it!!
My sweet blogging chicks, do you know how far behind I am on surfing blogs?!?!?! I had 80+ to catch up on and was goin' real good at it and then all of a sudden when I was down to ONLY 2, my Google Reader clicked in and said I was 30+ MORE to read. I may not post every day after this. I HAVE GOT to read other's blogs!!!