Showing posts with label It's All About the Light. Show all posts
Showing posts with label It's All About the Light. Show all posts

OUR HOUSE. . .


After the dreadfully hot summer we had, which included many, many weeks of 100+ temps, even getting to 114 one day, I'm really enjoying this mild November day. Here it is, the 14th, and the house is opened up because it's going to be close to 80 degrees today.

A breeze is blowing through the windows. And the autumn leaves are fluttering to the ground.

And there's lunch on the stove. . . and I got to sit at the little kitchen table in my little kitchen with my husband.

And enjoy lunch together.

In the midst of preparing a hot lunch, I was rearranging furniture and rooms.

And doing laundry.

And the cat wanted to go out.

And I was overcome with joy at the very thought of how perfect my life is.

Of course it is dotted with sorrows and disappointments, but all in all, I live a blessed life and I started humming "Our House". Do you remember it? Hubby and I sang it to each other when it came out in 1970.

And we're still singing it.

It's even more true today than way back then.

And remember - the song isn't about the house.

It's about the home.


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I LOVE LIFE - ALL AROUND THE HOUSE

My daughter over at http://daeofourlives.blogspot.com/ is hosting her first linky party and I'm thrilled to be part of it! Woohoo!

OK - let's get started with iLove {around the house}!

There are many things iLove about my house. . . mainly the quirky charming little house itself, an old dog-trot.
iLove its wonky charming porch that has 3 sections to it.

iLove gently swinging in it with my hubby and I've also enjoyed times with my 90 year old mom; old friends; children, grandchildren, etc.

iLove listening to the birds; rain; leaves falling; cows mooing and donkeys braying while in that swing.

iLove shelling peas; shucking corn.

and iLove taking business calls there; or sometimes taking a nap!

Yep - this little spot on the porch is very special to me with the quilt made by my dearest friend; day lilies in pitcher transplanted from my mom's yard years ago and moved with me numerous times and other little treasures, special to no one but my hubby and me.

There area lots of memories here but I won't bore you with them. But I must add that the slapping of the screen door almost brings about tears of joy and contentment!

Like I said, there are many things iLove about this home but one that I really appreciate is the lighting inside. Every room that has a window has marvelous lighting.

Come inside and I'll show you what I mean.
Here's a wee bit of the living room. See what I mean?
Glorious light!

The insect boxes are on shelves in the living room and never get direct sun, which is a good thing as they are very special treasures to me, along with the old Stetson that belonged to my Grandpa. See the can of Prince Albert? That's what he smoked in his pipe. Youngest son actually smoked some of it for me so I could recall the exact same smell of my childhood.


Beyond the living room is the Nature Room, with the majority of it decorated with naturey stuff. I'm grateful that my husband agreed that twigs would make good drawer pulls. iLove this room that has somehow morphed into my home office



Our bedroom has since been rearranged with the bed now between the two large windows but here's a glimpse of the great light in there. . . .



A quick peek into the dining/computer/sitting room which has six large windows!




What can I tell you about my kitchen? It is small, really small. I mean tiny! But iLove it anyway. Do you see those two upper cabinets? Yep - those are the ONLY ones I have! There is no dishwasher, but that's okay with me because most days as it's just hubby and me. When there are lots of folks here, well we just all pitch in and wash and dry them and put them away! It's little - but it works and iLove it!

Only a few more things about home to write about. . . . but one I really, really love is the guest bathroom in the L'Hotel. I'll write later about why it's called that. Anyway - when the house was first built the kitchen was separate from the main house, to keep from adding any extra heat to it. Somewhere along the line things got "modernized" and now it's our guest room and 2nd bath. I'm too tired to find any pictures of what it looked like when we moved in. . . . but Bates Motel definitely comes to mind! It had a horrible cabinet and flooring and walls and was just awful. Awful. You practically needed a seat belt to keep from falling off the toilet! Anyway - hubby did all this himself, putting up the bead-board and new flooring and sink, etc. It came with one of those horrid old rusted metal medicine cabinets which got replaced by a spray-painted top of the line mirror! LOL I am so pleased with it all. It is still one of the world's smallest bathrooms (the length of the room is the length of a standard tub) . . . but it is clean and neat and bright. iLove it!
And yes, the tub is pink!

OK- finally coming to the end! iLove the fact that my husband takes care of things that may go wrong and as money and time allow, fixes up the place. He works hard; almost always preferring to just do things himself.

I'm posting this photo of him jerry-rigging the ladder! I didn't say he always did things the safest way, now did I?

We're in the middle of the worst heat-wave/drought Texas has seen in a long, long time. Yesterday a freak little 10 minute storm blew through and broke limbs and branches, most of which landed all around the property. But do you see that really, really big one? That one landed on the roof! I was SO GLAD that Tim and Christiy stopped by and even though he wasn't wearing work clothes, and had gotten only 3-4 hours sleep the night before, Tim jumped right in, offering to help. What a blessing. iLove Tim!
But what iLove most about my home is that I get to share it with that crazy handsome man on the ladder. We've been married 42 years and HE is was iLove most about this house.
He is what makes it all so very special to me.

DAES of Our Lives



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SOME MORNINGS. . .


Some Mornings. . . ., originally uploaded by Vera*Smith.
The lighting is so vibrant and soft and dreamy all at the same time.

Always new.

Always illusive.

This is the most recent attempt to capture it. . . .

One day I will.

I hope I will.

MY FAVORITE CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS

I do intend to post more Christmas photos of the little cabin, but thought I'd share something a wee bit different today. Even though the decorations, ornaments, gifts & fragrances are all very lovely this time of year. . . the best ornamentation of all are friends & family we get to spend time with.














Above photo is of youngest grand-daughter. For the complete story, click here!

BTW - she doesn't look very convinced that hot dogs taste best cooked on a campfire, does she?!

CHRISTMAS AT THE COZY LITTLE CABIN

I can't believe I haven't posted any Thanksgiving decor pix - I certainly intend to do that. After all, it IS my favorite holiday!

In the meantime, here's a few shots of what's happening this Christmas at the Cozy Little Cabin! Nothing spectacular. . . . . just spending time trying to determine what stays & what goes. After all, the cabin is smaller than the other house & not everything will *make the cut*!

For starters we have a new down-sized tree because there's no room for a big one. Of course we could put one out on the porch, but this year it feels like too much work & we're just not up to it. Maybe next year . . . .
"Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree.
In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall.”
– Larry Wilde
A quiet little corner in the Nature Room.

Christmas decorations waiting for
me to find a place for them

I so very much enjoy reading every one's blog. . . . .I admire your creativity & energy! If I don't make it back to Blogland before December 25. . . . I hope you have a blessed Christmas!

Linking w/Thrifty Decor Chick's Christmas Tree Party!

and also linking w/My French Country Home

I'M IN LOVE WITH THE LIGHT




Dresser Detail

I love the light in this room. At certain times of day it is just breathtaking. Of course it changes throughout the year . . . but there is always a time of day when it's just magical!

If you look closely you'll notice that the only photographs in here are of hubby & me. There are no photos of children, ancestors or even pets. It gives me the creeps to have others' eyes in my bedroom. Or bathroom. There is an Audubon reproduction hanging over the bed. . . but no photos of anyone other than hubby and me!

Bedroom Corner, originally uploaded by Vera*Smith


PS - I think this lovely bust looks SO much better wearing my straw hat, instead of the black cowboy hat. Don't you?

GARDENING INSTEAD OF DECORATING


Good morning Sunshine! Once again I've neglected blogging in favor of gardening! I've transplanted some day-lilies & have been falling in love with my hydrangeas even thought they are not yet blooming! I've never had enough shade to grow them, so we've planted quite a few here...knowing there should be more than enough shade!
This is a scene that greets me every morning that the sun is shining. Admit it - it's hard not to get up & get outside before the heat hits! Speaking of - today's predicted high is 91. :(
I saw a quote the other day, "God made rainy days so gardeners could get housework done" Fortunately/unfortunately there's no rain predicted until the middle of next week!

I promise I'll be back before then!

Happy Mother's Day!

DECORATING & DOWNSIZING THE KITCHEN - PART II - MORE DETAILS

Don't let this sunny shot fool you it is a chilly morning in east TX!
We're keeping the windows open as much as possible before the hot weather arrives and it appears that as long as the nights are cool, the house stays mighty pleasant during the day without air conditioning. I did a search at my other blog, mylisteningheart.blogspot.com for "air" & "central". And through the years I've written a lot about enjoying them both because there are 8 pages of *air* & 3 pages of "central". I really, really, liked my central air & heat. We'll see how we do this summer with two little window units in the main house.


Anyway - back to the kitchen!



This china hutch stands where the water heater used to be. . .and was visible from the front door of the house! While some might not like looking into an area of the kitchen from the front door- - - this is so much better than a water heater! And besides that, it does a great job of providing more kitchen storage.

Back story about the hutch. We first saw it when I was pregnant with our first son, and he turned 40 this year! We saw an ad in the paper for an antique store going out of business sale and even though we were skeptical, we went anyway. And we are so glad we did! There we found what we think is an Eastlake Victorian bedroom set: bed, dresser, & wash stand for $84. All three pieces for only $84!



We also fell in love with this old hall-tree, also $84.
I just ran over to an inflation calculator & if we were buying those same pieces in 2009, they would cost $486.05. I'm thinking in 2010, that $84 would be at least $500. And of course they're that much older & that would jack up the price even more. Even so. . . very good bargains, but a lot of money for a young married couple right out of high school!


We also fell in love with the china hutch but just couldn't afford it (also $84). We were telling hubby's mom our new *old* furniture & about the china hutch & she too fell in love with it & bought it, assuring us if she ever got rid of it she'd give it to us. And she did exactly that. When they moved from Houston to Alabama, hubby's dad wanted all new stuff & out went the china hutch - - - right to us, just as she promised!

All of these pieces have moved a bazillion times & we are blessed that the glass & mirror have stayed whole. And the plan is for them to never be moved again! They, like we, are
finally home.

As you can see, there's lots of storage going on in the china hutch. . .
once again using things we had on hand, things we love & those $5 canvas bins from Wal Mart.


From top: Coca Cola crate (from my folks) holds cookbooks & when having picnics here, will use to hold plastic-ware, napkins & condiments! Everything on that top shelf is either used or has special meaning to me.
Inside top: More cookbooks! :)
Next Shelf: Holds scales first used to weigh oldest son when he was a baby! Flour canister acquired decades ago was my grandmother's. The sugar canister is new.
Second from Bottom: Those wonderful, washable canvas bins they hold a multitude of kitchen *stuff*.
Bottom Shelf: A variety of bowls - some were given as a wedding gift way back when, one from hubby's aunt, one from my grandmother. The others collected along the way .
Which brings us to the Bottom Left - the turquoise cake carrier. I know where it came from - the thrift store & I fell in love with it & gladly gave 25 cents for it!
Anyway, I started to write just now that I really didn't know what was in it & how I was too lazy to get up & look. But curiosity got the best of me & I did go look & lo & behold! There were the 4 missing blue/white plates from my mom!
How serendipitous is that? I found 4 of my favorite plates & now I have more room for storage! That's just how it goes sometimes!
And that's how downsizing & decorating the kitchen has been for me: just doing it a little bit at a time. . . not rushing into anything. . . just waiting for the perfect items to show up. Tell me about your serendipitous decorating moment! I know you have at least one!
Later,
Vera