When something calls to you

Have you ever been somewhere and it seems that something is just calling to you to stop and look?  Well it happened to me yesterday when I was in Goodwill.  I went there to see if they had any furniture that I could use in my kitchen.  Of course they didn't as I am usually never that lucky to find exactly what I am looking for.  So I decided to just take a look around.  I started looking at the pictures that they have on the top shelves through out the store and I came to a dead stop when I spotted this.

For some reason this picture was calling to me.  I am not sure where I will hang this but it almost makes me want to design a room around it.  To take the picture I hung it on the wall when you first come down to the basement.  I know I won't be using it down here since I plan on doing a woodland theme.  Maybe it will work in my craft room whenever I decide to tackle that room.  I am still not sure where I will put it but I knew that I just had to have it.

Buffalo checks in the kitchen

I almost have my kitchen done.  I still need to replace the backsplash and I want to add some beadboard and moldings to the island.  I have it painted and my new curtains arrived and they are hung up.  I have never had buffalo check curtains before and it is taking me some time to get used to them.  I think that I made the right choice. 

The rug is new as my old round rug was red with gold and purple tones in it. It now has a new home in the formal living room.   I think this one goes well with the curtains and the chairs.   I am not a big fan of plantation shutters but it would be too much work to remove them as every window in our home has them.  Also the trim in the home was restained dark but the windows underneath the shutters is not.  I would have to restain all the windows so I guess they will stay.

So here is how the kitchen looks from the family room.  We also replaced the two pendant lights above the island with a lighted pot rack.  Since these cabinets are smaller than my previous kitchen I needed more storage for my pots and pans.

Linking with
Coastal Charm, Our Home Away From Home, Cozy Little House, Stonegable, A Stroll Thru Life, The Dedicated House, Between Naps on the Porch, Home Remedies, Oh My Heartsie Girl, Savvy Southern Style, DIY by Design, The Bajan Texan, Have a Daily Cup of Mrs Olson, A Delightsome Life, From My Front Porch To Yours, Posed Perfection, Katherine's Corner, 21 Rosemary Lane, Imparting Grace, Rooted in Thyme, Shabby Art Boutique, Mila's Little Things, French Country Cottage, DIY Vintage Chic, Chic on a Shoestring, Life With Lorelai, My Romantic Home, Craftberry Bush, Pieced Pastimes, Scrapality, Life on Lakeshore Drive, Pink When, Tabler Party of Two, Dwellings The Heart of Your Home, Karen's Up on the Hill, Rustic & Refined, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

My 50th birthday

Today is my 50th birthday.  Oh where has the time gone.  Today is a happy occasion and a sad one for me.  My father and I shared a birthday.  We only got to share 30 together.  I so wish that he was here to share my 50th with me.  He would have been 93 today.
I was a special birthday present for my father 50 years ago. My two brothers and I are adopted as my mother had three miscarriages and could no longer become pregnant.  My parents waited a long time for a baby girl and I was lucky enough to become their daughter.  So here is the poem that I found for my father this year.

Happy Birthday Dad!

New color in the kitchen

I am proud to say that I got the kitchen painted and the upper niches decorated.  I painted it two weekends ago and got the decorating done yesterday.  I was in such a hurry to get it painted I forgot to take a picture of the old wall color.  It had a faux finish to it and I wanted a solid color.  I went light in the kitchen since it doesn't get much natural light.  We have a covered deck that wraps around the kitchen so it stays pretty dark.  The color I used is Putnam Ivory by Benjamin Moore.

Here is a picture of the wall color when the last owners lived here.  It is hard to see the faux finish in this photo but it is the only one I have.

Here are pictures of the niches that I decorated.  You can see three in the first photo above and the fourth is on the wall to the right of the picture.

 This little white piggy is going to be brown soon.  He doesn't show up to well so I think that he will look good brown.

I also decorated above the refrigerator since you can't open the doors to the cabinets all the way.  The refrigerator doors sit up a bit higher than the top of the fridge so the cabinet doors hit them.

I found another before we moved in picture showing the breakfast nook (all the furniture in the below picture is the former owners when it was on the market).   I didn't take a picture of that area yet as I am waiting for my new curtains to arrive.

Linking with
Coastal Charm, Cozy Little House, A Stroll Thru Life,   StoneGable, Home Remedies, Oh My Heartsie Girl, Elizabeth & Co, Savvy Southern Style, The Happy Housie, DIY by Design,
Beyond the Picket Fence, The Bajan Texan, Ivy and Elephants, Katherines Corner, A Delightsome Life, Have a Daily Cup of Mrs Olson, Northern Nesting, Mila's Little Things, Imparting Grace, French Country Cottage, Shabby Art Boutique, The Charm of Home, DIY Vintage Chic, Life with Lorelai, My Romantic Home, Creative Country Mom, Craftberry Bush, Chic on a Shoestring, Pieced Pastimes, Scrapality, Tabler Party of Two, Life on Lakeshore Drive, Pink When, Karen's Up On The Hill,
Dwellings The Heart of Your Home

Top 5 posts of 2015

It is hard to believe that this year is almost over.  Where does the time go?  Seems like the older I get the faster it goes.  Today I thought I would share with you my top 5 posts for 2015.  Some of them surprised me.

Lets start with #5. Funny Bunny Tablescape

#4 is Getting organized

#3 is French Country table

#2 is Little changes in the kitchen

And #1 is my biggest surprise.  It is My birthday.  Who would have thought that a poem I found to tell my Dad how much I love and miss him would be so popular.  My Dad and I shared the same birthday so sometimes I don't feel like celebrating mine.  This coming birthday in January will be my 50th and would have been my dad's 93rd.

New Years Eve table

Today I decorated the kitchen table for New Years Eve.  I didn't quite get all that I wanted to use since I couldn't find some of my decor that is packed away.  I am guessing that it is in one of the boxes that are stacked up in  my craft room.  Oh well that's how it goes sometimes.  So with what I could find this is how the table turned out this year.

I can't wait to get the rest of this house in order so I can do all my tablescapes.  If I can just get my craft room in order I will be able to do my tablescapes better.

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year.

Linking with
Rustic & Refined, Tabler Party of Two, Life on Lakeshore Drive, Dwellings The Heart of Your Home, Karens Up on the Hill, Coastal Charm, StoneGable, A Stroll Thru Life, Cozy Little House,
Dwellings The Heart of Your Home, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Oh My Heartsie Girl, Savvy Southern Style, DIY by Design, Ivy and Elephants, A Delightsome Life, Rooted In Thyme, Northen Nesting, Posed Perfection, Have a Daily Cup of Mrs Olson, The Charm of Home, French Country Cottage, Shabby Art Boutique

Christmas Home Tour 2015

Welcome to my new home.  It has been challenge getting this home ready for the holidays.  I wasn't able to do anything for Thanksgiving but I made it a point to get some Christmas in my home.  So come on in.

First is the front porch.

When you first step in you are greeted by the foyer.  I love how my bench fits perfectly in this spot.  This picture was taken before I got the staircase decorated.

Here is how it looks with the staircase done.

This is the area next to the front door.

Next we will step on down to the dining room. I wasn't sure how I wanted to do the dining room this year.  First is the hutch.  Just something simple and elegant this year.

Now on over to the dining room.  I thought I would make this more whimsical this year.

The next stop is the kitchen.

The last room is the family room.  I only got the mantel decorated and put up the tree.  Next year there will be more.  I just didn't have enough time this year and I wasn't able to find everything from moving.  After the new year I will be opening more boxes and getting everything organized for next year.

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Linking with
Life on Lakeshore Drive, Tabler Party of Two, Rustic & Refined, Dwellings The Heart of Your Home, Karens Up on the Hill, My Crafty Spot, Coastal Charm, Cozy Little House, A Stroll Thru Life, StoneGable, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, The Dedicated House, Savvy Southern Style, DIY by Design, Oh My Heartsie Girl, A Delightsome Life, Posed Perfection, 21 Rosemary Lane, Shabby Art Boutique, Rooted In Thyme, Pieced Pastimes, Scrapality