"Makes Me Smile" Tuesday !

It's been a wacko week so far (and it's only Tuesday !) . . . .

full of cattiness and drama at work, and scanner issues at home . . . .

so I'm a little late with the posting !

Luckily, I have the most recent Pottery Barn catalog to browse thru . . . .

all about Farmhouse Style !!

It's full of lovely, restful, and inspirational pictures . . .

they make me think of spring, and flowers,

and nesting, and all things farmhouse . . .

(this quilt made its way to my house last spring . . . love it !)

Happy Tuesday (and the rest of the week) !

"Makes Me Smile" Monday

Here's my recipe for a perfect Sunday afternoon:

. . . time in my craft room with my favorite tunes . . .

. . . one of these . . .

. . . and one of these, keeping me company . . .

. . . and a new sweater on the needles . . .

. . . PERFECTION !

(There was some hot chocolate in there, too . . . just a bonus !)

Happy Monday !

(Can't wait for another Sunday afternoon !)

A Yarn Party

That's what our furry boys must have had during the night recently !

I got out of bed, stepped into the hall, and saw this:

Then I looked into our guest room . . .

Mind you, I've been keeping the yarn on my bookshelf for well over

a year now . . . they must have just discovered it and gone crazy !!!

Here's one of the guilty parties now:

One ball of yarn even made it downstairs, and was

strewn around the dining room !!

Now my stash hides out here . . . in a drawer . . .

Can't blame them, really . . . with all the fun colors and textures,

I like to play with it, too !

"Makes Me Smile" Monday

"Over the woodlands brown and bare

Over the harvest-fields forsaken,

Silent, and soft, and slow

Descends the snow."

- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, "Snowflakes" -

Happy Monday !!

Sunday Laundry

Lots of laundry to do today . . .

Should this one go in the "darks" or "delicates" pile ???!!

"Makes Me Smile" Monday

Back today with pictures of our lovely finished shower . . . YAY !!!

So glad we finally had it fixed up . . . we are loving the result !!!

Here's what we started with:

Some "during" shots:

And the beautiful result:

Clean, simple, and still unique . . . and for less than we'd hoped and planned !!

Here's my favorite part:

. . . our own custom built-in shelf (our installer's idea !) No shower caddies or shampoo bottles cluttering the sides of the tub . . . I LOVE it !!! We also had new flooring put in, new fixtures, and crown molding, too . . . just thrilled with the whole thing !!

(and a new shower curtain, too !)

Happy (renovation) Monday !!

A New Look & A Holiday Recap !

It's a brand new year, and I decided on a brand new look for the blog !!

Happy 2010 !

One of my goals this year is to be a better blogger . . . my number of posts last year was 1/2 that of 2008 ! Things do happen and I always have things to post . . . sometimes laziness just gets in the way of making it happen !

Onward and upward !

So, the holiday recap . . . ! Christmastime was a busy one this year: work was crazy, as always, and the gift-making process kept me super busy ! We did get to spend time with both of our families, though, so that was a definite treat (lots and lots of eating !) !!

As I was racing around decorating and making gifts, I noticed just how much red surrounds us in our house . . . like it was made for the holidays !!

Here are some red-themed house pics:

(the transferware collection, of course !)

(our gorgeous armoire in the living room . . . handpainted by us !)

(my kitchen walls)

(our dining room chairs . . . handpainted by Jack !)

(part of this year's nifty gifties that had me knitting non-stop !)

(red velvet cookie batter)

This year's gifts for my co-workers: a plate of homemade yummies . . .

. . . topped off with knitted house helpers !!! I loved this whole idea,

and they seemed to be a hit with everyone, as well !

Hope you had a happy, cozy holiday season !

And here's to a great new year !