Moving On!

And the big news is...

We're moving...

 

(by now you probably realized I don't talk about things until the possibility is reality and the situation pretty much determined)

 

from this...

 

 

to this...

 

Which means new city, new state, new job...

Now you know why I haven't been talking about the furniture line.  Just when I decide I was completely prepared to move forward and show the line another opportunity came out of nowhere.  I guess that's how these things sometimes happen - just when you least expect it!  But, this one was just to good to pass up - even if it means moving from the house and property I love.  Sometimes its just time to move on. 

 

What I haven't previously mentioned is that we decided a year or so ago that we were ready to sell the house and return to city life.  20 years, one minor and one major renovation, a dozen farm cats, and more tomato plants than you can image has been great but its was time to check back in to civilization.  This was a decision which did not come lightly and took awhile to evolve.  Even then we thought it would be another five years or so before we actually put the house on the market and moved.  After all the part we hadn't decided was where we would move!  But, then fate entered the picture and made the decision for us. 

 

So now we go from one extreme to the other!

 

 

 

 

My first thought was to simply  close down the blog at this point.  After  all the blog name  is based one of the original owners of the house - not me.  And, its focus has been on southern style and all things plantation.  Also, I didn't want my blog to be one of those which just lies there in the internet waste land, never updated, never read. 

 

But, even with the life change about to happen I've decided that maybe I still have something to say.  So, before I close it down let's just see what happens next.  Who knows, maybe its just time to take a moment, regroup and retool and come back even better! But, bare with me.  I'm going to be busy so I want be around for awhile, but I will be back.

 

So for now I'm off to my high-rise adventure.  The long suffering 'C' will continue to be here on the farm until  it sells.  Saint Joseph has been planted in the backyard and I'll be coming back and forth - the grass still needs to be cut!

 

Oh...let me know if you want to buy a plantation.  I just happened to have one available!

 

 

 

Christmas Stick

The tree is nice this year...traditional...

 but here's my favorite tree...I cut a ten foot stick tree from the woods...then tacked it to this beam.

the beam sits in the foyer...Its a four foot section of a floor support that was removed from the house during the renovation...the contruction folks tossed it on the trash pile...I snatched it to safety, cleaned it up, added

levelers and it is a permenent item in my house.

it is hard to see in the photo, but I dressed the stick tree with old metal & crystal icecycles,

gold dipped acorns and tiny ornaments.

I did the same thing on the console on the opposite wall...

a Xmas tree treatment not for everyone...but it works for me!

Shutters and Xmas Cedar

When I was a kid we lived in a lot of different houses.  My grandmother said my parents moved every time the kitchen floor needed mopping. 

OK, so it wasn’t quite that bad, but we did move often.  It was always the same town - just different sub-divisions.  My parents were masters at trading up!  

Almost every house had shutters – which I thought odd since none of them worked.  They were permanently screwed to the house.  So from an early age I always wondered ‘why bother’?

Now I have working shutters.  They’re original – 1830. We had to replace some of the hardware.  The shutters had been screwed to the house - of course.  But, the hinges were still attached and working.

This house is perfectly positioned to make the most of the sunlight.  The sun hits the back of the house warming the kitchen and hangout area in the morning and warming the living room and dining rooms in the afternoon.  In fact the sun is positioned directly in the center hall entrance.  I keep the shutters closed during the summer months.  The afternoon sun is like an oven.

Last weekend it was time to open up the shutters. 

While I was working my shutters, I had a moment of inspiration and decided to do some holiday decorating.    

  

Last year I think I tossed a wreath at the front door and called it done.  Even inspired I still lack patience, so for me decorating has to be quick.  Killing two birds with one stone, I cut down a couple of cedar trees growing too close to the guest house.  Instead of tossing them on the compost pile I stuffed them in the empty concrete pots on either side of the front door, filled the base with boxwood, fluffed the wreaths with cedar, red ribbon and painted gourds from the garden. 

Decorating done! 

 I might not win the Garden Club prize but at least I’m no Scrooge this year!

Remembering Garden 2012

I have really been so busy professionally this past year I've neglected my blog schedule.  I keep finding photos and notes I had plan to post but never found the time to do so.  The other day I ran across a few photos from this years garden.  It was a big year for peppers, tomatoes and beans - and perennials.  Now that we've had our first frost it's nice to look back on these photos and remember the results. 

Empty Entrance Halls

These first two pics are of my entrance hall.  I've mentioned a hundred times (and have done a couple of posts over the past 2 years) one day I'm going to turn it into a design master piece.  But, for now and probably the foreseeable future it will stay the minimalist empty space it is!  However, just to prove I do think about it here are a couple of ideas.

I've been collecting these images for awhile and now that I re-look at them, I realize the majority lean in the minimalist direction.   Maybe I'm on the right track to begin with.  Great!  One more thing I can check off the list.

For now anyway...

The New Pool

Its taken awhile, but I'm pleased to report the pool is finally finished! Well, at least the interior is finished. The steps are done, liner is in and it's been refilled. The decking hasn't been refurbished yet, but all in due time. The pebble liner with no border was some what of a risk but, I'm really glad we did it (thanks Ron)! Its amazing how blue the water looks in a pool lined with a tan pebble pattern. In fact I really believe the water is bluer than before! It even looks a more natural Mediterranean blue. Very crisp! I love the wide steps in the shallow end and the 'party ledge' hanging just below the water level in the deep end. Now if it was only heated!

All I need is outdoor furniture, planters, and plants!

before...

during

after

during

after

during

after...finally!