What I did on my summer vacation

Hmmm...where to begin?! We got so much accomplished over this three-day weekend, that it feels like we spent a week or more doing it! On Friday morning, BF decided somewhat out of the blue that he was going to dig up the culvert under the driveway and see if he could clean it out. As I've said before, the yard has some drainage issues, and as much as I don't like looking at the low, wet parts of the lawn, it didn't drive me crazy, like it did BF. So he went to Lowes, bought a pick-ax, and started at it. Some gratuitous shirtless digging pics follow. (Sorry, I couldn't help myself...yeah, he rolls his eyes at me too...lol.)

So while he was digging away, I mowed the lawn, and then started digging a new garden for my hostas, alongside the shed. Trust me, BF did NOT want me in the way of flying gravel, so I only went over there when beckoned. I did have to help him heave the humungous HEAVY mud-packed pipes out of the ditch one by one as he loosened them, though. Ugh. That was scary. The man may be small, but he is a mighty powerhouse in a small package. I couldn't believe the weight he could lift. Look at this one, roots growing through it and everything! What a mess...no wonder no drainage was happening!
So I dug up my patch of land, filled it with a topsoil/compost mixture, and planted some of my shade-loving plants. I love the way it turned out. After all the pipes were out of the ditch, BF went across the river to True Value and found this corrugated culvert pipe. All I could do when he got back was giggle at the size of those things. I thought they looked hilarious on the truck. He was all "what's so funny?" and then Kathleen comes outside and looks at the truck and starts laughing too. I don't know what it was...they just looked so HUGE on that truck...and his truck is BIG. The pipes went in, he locked 'em together, and we covered them up again. So of course, in the digging of the ditch, BF had unearthed a dilapidated old stone wall that had been holding back the side of the driveway. I asked him if he could bring the stone wall out so that I could plant a garden between it and the driveway, underneath the pretty tree. Heck, he said he was going to rebuild it anyway, so why not start from scratch, right?! So that's what he did for the rest of the day Saturday (after getting the pipe in) and most of the day Sunday. As he worked, I filled my garden area with fresh topsoil/compost and planted my garden. I couldn't be more pleased with that stone wall. I mean, seriously, is this place awesome, or what?! *sigh* I don't even want to think what it would have cost to actually pay someone to do the hard work BF did this weekend. It's priceless, IMO.

Finally, yesterday afternoon, Kathleen and I went shopping for a screened tent. We needed a place from which to enjoy the new stone wall garden, after all! We got the last of the domed pretties off the floor at Home Depot, and they disassembled it for us, so we could bring it home without instructions and put it up again. Heh. We did OK. But by the time we were done, my nerves were a little frazzled. Kathleen retreated to her room, while BF and I relaxed a bit in the late evening without getting one mosquito bite! Yay! That's an old iron candleabra I bought years ago and never used. I need to dangle baby-food jars from wire with tealights in them from the branches of it.

Maybe next weekend we can relax? Or not. I have more plants to get in the ground. I guess this is the tale of home-ownership. The work is never done. But heck, if the end result is this great every time, then I don't mind it a bit. :)

Invisible Friends

I have a lot of "invisible" friends whom I've known for years through the wonder of the internet. I believe I've known Lori since about 2001, when I joined a decorating forum and she was a member. The forum used to have a chat feature, which was a great way to get to know forum members better, and Lori was always in there, chatting away, and we had some great conversations.

She lives in Altadena, CA, where she runs Webster's Fine Stationers with her husband Scott. Scott is a renovation superman, and has done SO much with their gorgeous house, inside and out. (I suppose Lori has helped too...lol) Maybe Lori will start her own blog (besides her store blog) where she can share pictures of her gorgeous kitchen and fabulous yard.

Anyway, Lori was kind enough to post some great pictures from her store on the forum about two weeks ago, and I jumped on some bee items from the Mary Carol Garrity collection she's carrying. I love bees, and have a small collection of them, and "Bee" is also a nickname of mine (long story) so when I saw this tray and the box, I had to have them. Lori was kind enough to pack them up and ship the across the country for me. Isn't she awesome? :)
I keep threatening that one day I'll make it to California, and she says I have an open invitation, so hey--you never know!! Thanks Lori!

Evening Mist

I was out doing some gardening around 7pm last night (trying to get stuff in the ground so it doesn't DIE on me) and the mist started rolling in. I know you've all got to be getting tired of pictures of the field, but I'll tell you what--it's an ever-changing vista out there! Last week they hayed a few rows. I don't know why they stopped--may have been too wet--but the hay wagon was left there, and it looked so cool in the mist that I had to take a picture.
By the time I went inside at around 8 or 8:30, the entire field was covered in white. It looked like a cloud had landed out there. It was pretty cool, but by that time I was done w/pictures...lol. It would have been kind of boring anyway...just a big white field. I'll save that for some winter shots. ;-)

That's all for today, folks!

Kathleen's End of School Party

Here she is with her best friend Shannon. They were taking pictures and setting up last minute stuff before kids started arriving.

There's the "big top" as my sister likes to call it. We had all of the food in there, and figured it would also double as shelter if it rained, which thank GOD it didn't!

I borrowed some more Adirondack chairs from my sister for the event as well, so the kids could sit. We also laid out a few quilts on the grass.

Kathleen picked out her green and blue theme. The cups matched too! I have no gardens as of yet, so I took a drive and cut some wildflowers for a couple of bouquets.

The volleyball net was a big hit. They played with that thing for about 2 hrs, and spent the other two doing karaoke and kickball. I wish I had gotten pics of the kickball game.
It was pretty rowdy!

Here's a few of them at the karaoka machine. They had a blast with that.

I think the top count was 23 kids at one point. I'm glad I got this shot before everyone got picked up. I have a couple of tame pics too, then told them to have fun with this one. I love it when everyone gets goofy and/or glamorous....cracks me up.
They all had a great time. I wish I could have gotten a good shot of them all running around with their glowing necklaces in the dark. It was wild. Kathleen said "Thanks, Momma, you're the best Momma ever" after all of her friends had left. Then: "Can we just clean it up tomorrow? I'm so TIRED."
So I let her go to bed. :)

The Library

The Library/Den Before

Some of the sheetrock had to be replaced due to some water damage from a leaky roof. The roof has been repaired, and so have the walls!

After:

That red chair is going to be replaced with a comfy chenille couch in the next couple of weeks. I can't wait. This room is really a cozy size, and will be great to read in. Right now, it's my music room. The acoustics are great for my flute.

As you can see, there are still boxes to be unpacked and put away, and I would say that this room is the most UNdone of them all right now. I need to wait until I get the couch before I can really finish it up I think. All of the books on those bookshelves above are decor related. I can't believe how big my collection is!

These shelves were old white wood bookcases that I picked up at garage sales about 8 yrs ago. I just slapped a coat of blueish paint on them and put them in here. The book case in the middle is actually a family piece that was in my home when I was a kid. It is an old modular bookcase that comes apart in four pieces for easy transport. It's really cool. I'm struggling with the idea of painting it. That weird green finish isn't really cutting it in my house. We'll see. I'm also afraid that I have a bunch more books that need to be unpacked, and since I've filled the left shelf there with DVDs and videos, I've cut down my book space. I'll have to come up with a new strategy there. This whole side of the room looks pretty messy because of the mis-matchy stuff. Sometimes I can make mis-matchy work, but in this case...not so much...lol.

Outside

This was taken from one side of the backyard, with the "fort" that the previous owner left behind showing a bit on the left. He took the playhouse with him, and left the frame. I'm thinking I might turn it into a makeshift sort of pergola. My garage is an eyes0re...need to paint it at some point. My shed got delivered last week...I love it there. I can't wait to garden around it.
I put my hammock under the frame...seemed like a logical spot for it. There is dappled sun all morning here, and thoughout the day. It's a great spot to relax.

Front of the house from the corner of my property.

We hung the flag on Memorial Day. I think I'll just leave it up...I like the way it looks! This picture shows how far out the land goes...those chairs under the tree are about 15 ft from the edge of the field, which is the end of my property line. All in all, I have an acre, and it's the perfect size for me! :)

Kitchen Before and After

This kitchen needs a bit of a major overhaul. I'm tossing around the idea of either getting IKEA cabinets to replace what's there (not the built-in--that's staying!), or possibly just replacing the doors on the existing cabinets and painting them all white. I want a black countertop, probably laminate, unless I can do granite on a budget somehow. And I have an 18" vinyl tile picked out for the floor already...almost the same color tones as the one that's there now, but the one that's there now is BAD...lol.
In the picture above you can see the single light fixture that was on the ceiling. I replaced that with a track light. That's the previous owners, too! Hee! They had rented this place to the same guy for the last 17 yrs. It was in pretty rough shape. They did a lot of fixing before I moved in, as you can see from the wall patching!
The green "tile" you see everywhere is going to be covered over with white beadboard wainscoting, and the walls above will be painted a very lovely shade of "morning fog" blue. Hee. I THINK that's the name of the paint color. It's a pale blue-green...you've seen it everywhere. Of course, who knows...by the time this actually gets done, I may have changed my mind again, and I'll have to use the blue somewhere else.
In the picture above, you can see that I have completely filled the built-in with stuff....and then some. I need to find a solution for the shelf underneath. Right now it has tools and all sorts of crap on it. Hopefully when I get done using the tools every day, they can find a new home. You can also see the dishwasher stuffed into that corner. It's not hooked up yet. That will be installed to the right of the sink, and then I'm going to put a rolling microwave cart in that corner. Right now the microwave is on the other end of the kitchen...not too convenient.

Track light! I love it...we configured it so each light shines on a task area: sink, stove, pantry, table, built-in. Love it.

This is my temporary fix, and my new stove. I just basically moved all my stuff in and called it done...hung the shelves above the counters because I needed more places to put stuff. If I don't go the IKEA route, I'll be building two upper cabinets out of vintage windows, and then putting shelves in between them. That was my first idea, and I'm starting to turn back to it. Sigh. I don't know!!
The "table" here is the vanity that I'll eventually be using in the bathroom. I didn't have anywhee to put it just now, so it's the table for a while. I have a couple of table choices in storage for this area--one a rustic painted drop-leaf, and one an antique oval drop-leaf. We'll see!

Living Room Before and After

This is the Living Room before I moved into the house. I liked this color, but it was pretty dark, and I really wanted a lighter feel in this house than I had in my apartment.

That green room in the far right is now my bedroom. I also painted those stairs...the risers are white, and the treads black. I love them now!!

AFTER:

This sheer is a discontinued Brunschwig & Fils fabric that I used in a showhouse nursery last year. I love it! I took it off the canopy that I had made for over the crib in the nursury, serged the top edge, and just hung it from clip rings.

I need to buy another couple of sets of rings so that I can put heavier draperies on in the winter. This is an old house. I have a feeling it's going to be a little drafty!!

I just love my chair. I bought it at a flea market about 10 yrs ago for $25, and had the seat reupholstered for $50. It has inlaid mother of pearl and other woods. I'll have to get a closeup some time.

This is my Kathleen wall...lol. The desk came from my mother's house. It's really cute, but I'm thinking about painting it black so it fits in a little bit better. It's oak, but the finish is a little too "new" for me. You can see the painted stairs there too!

The fabric draped over the ottoman is a cotton ground with a flocked velvet in chocolate brown on it, with some screen printed blue swirls. I love it! I'll be making a real slipcover out of it at some point...as soon as I can make a decision on fabric for the sofa.

The big plan is to build a faux fireplace mantel there where the TV is now, and put my faux electric logs in it, and hang a flat-panel TV above the mantel. Maybe next year? :)

That's it for now! I spent the weekend hanging pictures and window treatments all over the house. I'll share more over the next few days.

Best Friends Ever

I had a little dinner party last night in honor of my birthday. There were six adults, three kids, and we had a lovely time. The bouquet of dahlias above is from my friend Pat. I can't even tell you how gorgeous that thing looks in real life! SO pretty!

The bouquet of peonies is from my friend Kelly...they smell SO divine! I used that potting bench as a buffet of sorts. It's where the wine and glasses went, and the metal bucket with soda and beer.

I titled this post Best Friends Ever because my friends know JUST what I need for my birthday! My friend Jennifer and her husband came over the other night with three pick-up truck loads full of topsoil for me. It has rocks and worms and everything in it! There are absolutely NO gardens here yet, so that is my jumping off point. I'm so excited to have dirt! And her mother Pat is going to bring me compost this week too! How much better does it get? Not much!!

All of these sedums and the bunny came from my friend Kelly. She bought the pots over in Massachusetts. I can't remember the name of the place, though. I'm in love with this little vignette. It looks perfect on the little painted green table to the right of my rear entrance steps.

Kathleen set the table for me. I love my umbrella so much...b-day present from BF last year...that and the hammock. BF is in Denver this week, so no prezzies yet from him! (I'm all about the presents...lol.)

I put the Adirondack chairs under the tree, and put a small table out there in the side yard. We ended up spending the whole time at the dining table out back, but the kids played out there...making mini-movies of each other, and playing frisbee...roasting marshmallows, etc. They had fun, and we hardly saw them! Yay!

Next weekend is Kathleen's big party. She has invited 29 kids over for four hours of fun. I can't wait. (Insert scared sarcastic face here.) She seems to have things all figured out, so I'm not too worried. We just need to do the big shopping trip next week, and see if we can dig up a nice big tent somewhere. You have to have a tent for it to look festive, right?! Wish me luck.