Decorating for Fall!

I spent some time this weekend decorating for fall. I know, I know.. fall doesn't officially start until September 23rd this year. We will just say, I'm ready!

I like for my entry way to be inviting. Autumn happens to be one of my favorite seasons!

 

There is just something so peaceful about this time of year. Summer makes me want to pack bags and run out the door looking for a new adventure. Fall makes me want to cuddle up with my family or a book and stay home and bake.

Harmony, Grace and Abundance are what my baskets read... They remind me to take time to thank God for all that he gives!

Each year when I pull out my fall decor I find this picture of my sons that I just love. My boys are 16 and 13 now, this picture is of them at a pumpkin patch, around the ages 5 and 2. I was fortunate enough to be a stay at home mom with them at that stage in their lives and I loved every minute of it!

 In the fall I like to cover my tables with tablecloths and place more rugs on the floor. I like to make our house feel warm and cozy.

 

I love the burnt oranges and gold colors of fall. 

 Now that our house is ready for fall I will patiently await God to paint the trees magnificent colors.

How the house painting turned out...

It was brought to my attention that I never shared how our new house colors turned out. We went with Sherwin Williams 7508 Tavern Taupe for the main color and 7507 Stone Lion for the trim.

I really like how it turned out.

For the door we used Sherwin Williams 6989 Domino (aka Black).. I just put a fall wreath on it.

 And of course whenever I am outside our husky Rio wants to be outside too. :)

Here is a reminder of what it looked like before...

New Rose Garden!

I am so excited! I bought 5 new rose bushes and am going to plant a rose garden this weekend. The roses are not impressive yet.. but I am hopeful for next year and for years to follow!

I bought 1 climbing and 4 knockout roses.

 

Here is a little sketch of the garden I am going to make at the back of my yard. I plan to plant them in the shape of an S as this garden is going to be in memory of my sister Sarah. She always loved roses!

If you look real hard you will find a few plants that are still in bloom around my house....(It's surprising anything survived through this hot hot summer!)

Happy Gardening everyone!

Mother's Day brooch

I can't believe I am just getting around to posting the brooch I received from the Mother's Day swap I participated in, better late than never. I'm actually home sick today so have some extra time on my hands.

Thank you Ellen for the beautiful brooch you sent me! It's just perfect!

And a special thank you to Linda at A Swap for All Seasons for hosting yet another great swap!

Picking an exterior house color, after a hail storm

I think picking the color of the exterior of your house is as hard as picking the right car to purchase. I am going to be 'stuck' with this decision for a few years at least.

One night in April we experienced a horrible hail storm.

 

 

From it we ended up with broken windows, a totaled roof, totaled gutters, damage to our fence and our house now needs to be repainted. Thank goodness for insurance.

We have already had our roof and gutters completely replaced. And have decided since we are painting our house we will make a color change (we were never fond of the green when we bought the house).

Picking a house color is so tough. One of my friends had a house that turned PINK after the house was in the sun for a few years. So I want to be sure I pick a color that is going to look good for years to come. I am thinking gray, white trim (and garage doors) and black door and shutters (we don't have shutters now but I think some may help balance our house out)... Suggestions anyone?

Spring Color

I wanted to bring some spring colors in my house... you should have seen my husbands disbelief with this one! ;0) He was speechless! I told him I am going to continue paining it different colors with the seasons and I think he was relieved that our step stool wouldn't always be this color.

This color reminds me of the sea. I guess you can say I am missing the ocean. I love bright colors and my walls are warm and neutral. I think we all deserve to have some fun with colors every once in a while don't you? Besides I am the one that uses this stool to get up into my top kitchen cabinets.. he is fortunate enough to be super tall!

Here was the stool before...

Our First Anniversary!

It's hard to believe a year ago we were getting married on the beach in Jamaica!

Yes, more amazing flowers were delivered to my work. I just love this combo.. I only wish they weren't quite so fragrant.

As much as I would have enjoyed going back to Jamaica to celebrate we are waiting until our 5 year to do that so this year we celebrated with an amazing local night out.

We went to one of our favorite restaurants, a Brazilian grill where delectable meats and seafood are served on the skewers in a continuous table side service style called "rodizio". Basically you have a coin on your table and you flip it when you want waiters to parade to your table with different various cuts of beef, pork, lamb, and chicken all skewered which were slow roasted over a wood fired grill. They have a huge side bar that you can visit as much as you want for things like the most delicious mashed potatoes you've ever tasted, veggies, salads, Brazilian beans, breads, soups, and on and on. Needless to say we were stuffed when it came time to eat a bite of cake (made by the same person that made our wedding reception cake).

We tried the restaurant piña coladas but they were nothing like the creamy sweet piña coladas we had in Jamaica. So, for or the first time we attempted to make some of our own using the coconut rum we brought back. They ended up great!

What a great day, what a great year! I love my husband more and more with each passing day, he is truly a gift from God.

I'm back!

I realize that I have been horrible about posting. Just like the rest of you I have just been so busy! Please don't worry I am not gone for good, I've been doing some great projects and hope to share them with them with you soon!

I joined www.myfitnesspal.com this week. If you are anything like me and always struggling to lose or maintain weight it's a very beneficial website. It has the best food tracker that I have every found!

Have a great weekend!

Tuscan Kitchen Decorating

I took everything down from above my kitchen cabinets and decided to redecorate with a Tuscan look. By that I mean, what you might find in Tuscany, Italy.

This is how far I am with the decorating...

Looking at these photos makes me realize, I should probably paint that vent the color of my walls so it doesn't stand out as much (photos always tell so much).

I keep my kitchen counters pretty bare as I like to have the space clean and ready to cook and bake with. That means the space above my cabinets is my main area in the kitchen to decorate with.

Do you have space above your kitchen cabinets? If so what do you do with it? How often, if ever, do you change it?

F.R.O.G. "Fully Rely On God"

My mom has told me for years that a FROG should remind me to Fully Rely On God.

Ironically, a friend of mine brought me this frog cupcake to cheer me up after losing my dear friend. Little did she know how much it would mean to me. It was the perfect time for a reminder to fully rely on God.

She also brought me these azaleas to cheer me up. I am so blessed to have such a great friend! She knows how much I am anticipating spring and these azaleas are not only going to look wonderful in my yard, they are going to remind me for years to come of my friend who just passed away.

Stage IV Colon Caner- Schedule a colonoscopy today!

IF YOU ARE OVER THE AGE OF 50 OR HAVE ANY FAMILY HISTORY OR INCREASED RISKS OF CANCER SCHEDULE A COLONOSCOPY TODAY (TOMORROW MAY BE TOO LATE)!

 

This is a photo of my dear friend Lisa (on the left) in December. She was healthy, she was happy.

A month or so later (a few weeks into January) Lisa was hospitalized with pneumonia. On January 21st, 2011 the hospital gave Lisa horrible news, she was told she had stage IV colon cancer.  For those of you that don't know Stage IV (4) means that the cancer had already spread.

A few facts about my wonderful friend... 

Lisa survived cancer in her 20s. She is a strong woman!
Lisa is not yet 50.

Lisa is the most amazing single mother that ever existed (her sons are currently 12 and 13, this photo is outdated).

Lisa has a fascinating southern charm and a beautiful heart and therefore is loved by MANY (to say the least)!

Out of the past 4 weeks, Lisa has been in the hospital 3 weeks and is currently hospitalized.

Today is Saturday, February 5th. Since January 21st (the day Lisa was informed she has colon cancer) we have learned...

• The cancer has spread to her liver where she has at least 12 tumors, the longest 14cms in length.
• There are tumors on her lymph nodes. 
• She hasn't stopped running a temperature which could mean more than an infection, it could be bone marrow cancer as well.
• Tests on her kidneys show they have issues as well.
• Something has begun to obstruct Lisa's colon, possibly one of the tumors. She can't eat because there is no exit for her waste. A surgeon inserted a stint in her colon. A short lived success, the obstruction is still not allowing enough waste to come through. A new surgery is scheduled for Monday, February 7th to cut some of the colon out and fuse it back together.
• In the mean time Lisa has started to have difficulty breathing and her stomach is swelling because of the gases that can't exit (the gas build up is partly caused by the pain medication she is on). 
• Doctors started investigating into what is pressing on Lisa's diaphragm that is making it hard for Lisa to talk. More bad news a possible tumor is close to her lungs, and more fluid is found on the lungs.
• Lisa has also began showing signs of heart issues.

 Oh how I love my friend Lisa! I pray daily for a miracle!

IF YOU ARE OVER THE AGE OF 50 OR HAVE ANY FAMILY HISTORY OR INCREASED RISKS OF CANCER SCHEDULE A COLONOSCOPY TODAY (TOMORROW MAY BE TOO LATE)!

Update: Lisa went to heaven on February 9th.

Daydreaming about spring planting..

We currently have a yard covered in snow with a few more inches on the way, sooooo I am daydreaming about spring planting.

Here is a backyard photo, from a good 10 years ago, at a prior house. (Sorry for the poor quality something odd happened when I scanned the print.)

Oh how I wish when I moved I had taken some of my grandma's iris that I transplanted into that yard.

2011 is going to be a big year for landscaping at our house. Our backyard at this house is just so bare. I really don't know where to start. I planted a perennial garden in the far back corner, you can read around it here and I planted a vegetable garden and herb garden that you are read about here and I planted some wildflowers, read about here. What I think I really needs are some shrubs, a few trees, and maybe a rose garden.

Here was a photo taken of our backyard before any of the above... It's really not much more exciting now. We spend this entire last year finishing the basement and making changes to the inside of our home. Now it's time to put some time into the backyard!

Is anyone else thinking about what they are going to plant this spring?