Updates & decor winding down

I'm hoping we'll get our final piece of custom cabinetry installed in the downstairs powder room by the weekend so I can close the door on this last bit of updating. Oh sure, we've been waiting an extra two months for the cabinets to be completed. Wah-wah. Our silver lining on the delay is that it's all soft close and beautifully made. We've loaded up most of the new garage entry cabinets with stuff we had temporarily placed in the guest bedroom downstairs, so that was nice to finally get things shifted into their proper spots.

My new floor lamp arrived a few weeks ago. Talk about a nice big shade!  I ordered one that was a sister to those already in the downstairs living. I've about decided that corner will be the best place for the skinny Christmas tree I'm waiting to order from Balsam Hill as soon as it's back in stock. It's never too early to start thinking about holiday decor, y'all.

A couple weeks ago I trekked out into the boonies to collect our cuckoo clock. I didn't mind because the drive was pretty. Plus I like that I'm giving my business to a retired local clock repairman who works out of his house and does an excellent job with reasonable prices.

Late last week I ordered several lights for the barn. The exterior paint is about finished. We're just waiting for the window and door overhang metal to arrive so it can be put in place. I'm really digging these lights, seen below. I think of them as farmhouse, but the place where I buy lights listed them as warehouse style. The copper versions I chose were a bit more expensive, but I think they'll look really good as they age in the elements and develop a nice patina.

Thanks to our recent rains, the 23 pallets of Bermuda sod we put down have greened up and appear to be taking root. This crepe myrtle in the dog's side yard is so heavily laden with blooms that the branches are sagging a bit. This time of year in the Texas hill country tends to be feast or famine in terms of precipitation. I'm just grateful the Lord has blessed us with rain for all of our lovely flora and fauna. 

Summer sliding on in

Ahhh, summer. I appreciated this time of year so much more when I was still teaching. Now it merely serves as the herald of hot weather and less traffic during rush hour. For Memorial Day weekend, I put out some patriotic decorations on our front gate. I found the Uncle Sam in an online shop that specializes in wreaths, but makes a couple different handpainted wooden decor pieces. I also got a few Santas for the most wonderful time of the year. They'll be making their debut in about five months.

In other house news, I dropped off six more paintings at the frame shop yesterday. That will bring my total to sixteen autumn landscapes of various sizes to create an accent wall in our downstairs living room. My idea was sparked by this painting below that I acquired over fifteen years ago with my decorator for a song. I've had it reframed and hung in every house we've occupied. Since the BER months are my favorite time of year, I decided to make this my focal point for a grouping of fall paintings. Besides the commonality of season, I made sure each piece has either blue water or blue sky. Some have both. Here's hoping it looks as good as I've been imagining it will in my head.

The days are long, but the years are short

It's that time of year, cap and gown season for another graduating class. This month it was all about bachelor's degrees for our youngest and her cousin Chance. When every chick leaves the nest for the next step in their education, we fret and worry that our parenting skills didn't fully prepare them for life away from home. That they'll forget what we taught them and fall under the spell of negative influences. We pray and do our utmost to trust our Heavenly Father to keep them safe. And so we praise the Lord that He kept these two in the palm of His hand over the past four years. Our dedicated scholars are headed off to law school at Texas Tech and SMU come August. We are all so proud of their accomplishments.

This past week, the older daughter and her fiance went to California and invited the younger daughter to join them since she's footloose and fancy free for the next couple months. They enjoyed several days touring the wine country before heading south to San Francisco. I thought the silly video they sent me was really cute.

In wedding news, the daughter finished interviewing several planners and hired one. She also toured various venues and put a deposit down at The Arlo to secure her date. I love all of the Arlo's bright and airy spaces. I think this newer wedding venue will be a beautiful backdrop for her reception. I'm looking forward to the next step this summer, which will be her hunt for the dress.

Slow down, fall, and wait your turn

This morning I made a run to Hobby Lobby to buy supplies to make patriotic summer wreaths to go alongside the Uncle Sam I ordered for our front gate. I usually put my decorations up in early June to keep in place until right after Labor Day when my fall pumpkins make an appearance.

In addition to searching for red, white and blue mesh and ribbon, I was looking for silk greenery to fill a tall urn I bought for our downstairs living room. As I strolled the aisles, I was surprised to see they already have fall decor on display. I'm not talking a row or two either. They've seriously devoted quite a bit of space to pumpkins and it's only May 18. Not even Memorial Day yet. I swear every year the holiday decor rolls out earlier and earlier. Back in my day, sonny, we didn't see hide nor hair of a pumpkin until early October.

Don't get me wrong, I adore fall. Every Labor Day I snap out of my summer funk in anticipation of the BER months. Saying goodbye (in October) to triple digit temps. Being able to sit on the back porch again without fighting off swarms of mosquitos. Friday night football lights. Hot cocoa. Family time at the holidays. What's not to love?! But I gotta admit, it's hard to contemplate the joys of fall when today's high was 95 and it's only going to get worse before it gets better.

Mother's Day 2023

This year we had a very laid back mother's day. We opted to spend last Saturday with my husband's parents. Our girls joined us and we enjoyed a lovely lunch with them, which also included our future son-in-law. While snooping through a store the week before, I ran across this cute planter. Since my husband's mother's name is Rosemary, the girls thought it would be a fun addition to the gift card for a department store that carries one of her favorite clothing brands. So I found a decorative rosemary plant to put in it. Hardest part was keeping the older daughter's chorkie from hiking his leg on it, and thus I placed it out of his reach on the back porch.

The sweet ladies in my BSF class gave me some lovely flowers at our final fellowship last Thursday as we wrapped up our Kingdom Divided study. So I got to enjoy them through mother's day. God blessed me with a precious group this year, my first one as a leader, and I'll always remember their kindness as I fumbled around in the beginning to find my way.

The dogs were happy both daughters came home so they could get in some snuggle time. The chorkie was our older daughter's shadow all weekend. He can be really feisty, but is also a big lap baby. Sadly, our old cairn boy Ollie was diagnosed with an inoperable liver tumor almost two months ago, and so our younger daughter spent quality time with him. He's slowing down and losing weight here in our doggie hospice. However, the Lord has answered my prayers and kept his pain at bay as his life winds down and we prepare to say goodbye.  

As for me, my biggest gift was spending time with my husband and our girls. I don't take it for granted that they live close enough to visit on a regular basis. With our youngest moving to Dallas this summer and the oldest getting married, I sincerely appreciate the gift of their time. It always makes my momma's heart sad to see them go after they've come for a visit.

Coffee station is a wrap

Ten weeks later and I've finally put the finishing touches on the new coffee station we created between the kitchen and butler's pantry. With drawers below to store cups and all of the brewing necessities, including my holiday mug collection, I've got everything where I want it. I might add a milk foamer/frother, but don't imagine that will happen until the fall when we start thinking about warm drinks to ward off the chill once again.

I know everybody goes for the floating shelves these days, but it's just a classic look that lends itself to fun decor choices that give it some character. The french press came from England. The bird nest in a metal cloche came from my mother's house. Those green jadeite pieces were collected by me. 

 

I wanted a fun informal picture to punch up the space across from the coffee station, and found Buffalo Bob enjoying a cup of joe when I was snooping around online. While hanging him, we discovered a Bible reference by the artist - Psalm 86:14-17 that you can read below. What a wonderful reminder that we can be confident the Lord hears us when we call out to Him in difficult situations. The Creator of the universe and everything in it is infinitely bigger than our human minds can fathom, and only He is able to save us from our sin. What a blessing He is always trustworthy and extends grace to His people.

Arrogant foes are attacking me, O God; ruthless people are trying to kill me - they have no regard for you. But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. Turn to me and have mercy on me; show your strength in behalf of our servant; save me, because I serve you just as my mother did. Give me a sign of your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.

Office-ially done

This morning I enjoyed the fruits of my labors over the past couple weeks, working at my desk in this lovely new office I've created. Since my office isn't too big, I love how the white cabinetry makes it feel a bit more spacious since the desk I bought at Pottery Barn basically matches the floor. My collection of blue and green glass on the lighted upper display shelves I had the cabinetmaker create for me really gives it a fresh and airy feel. The granite I chose for my cabinet tops is a bit darker than I realized, but is still very complimentary to the overall vibe and has lots of great movement.

Our beautiful girls have taken pride of place on my larger wall. The last item on my to-do list is to have our contractor drill a couple holes through the back of the cabinet drawers to connect my printer cord to the desktop. Since I opted to store it in a pull out shelf inside the cabinets rather than on the countertop, its wireless signal tends to be spotty. 

A recent fun addition to my desk was the old rotary dial phone in a shade of blue to match my decorative glass. I love nosing around for these cool old finds on eBay. Nobody has land lines anymore, and so this phone from my youth is a true technological dinosaur these days. Next up on my decorating hit list is finishing the upstairs, including the selection of a good paint color for the big buffet from our last house that matches absolutely nothing in the upstairs living area. Plus I need to get busy organizing a fun collage of vintage 1980s Southern Living magazine covers to display on my kitchen wall.