progress

These are my beans growing on twine in my dining room windows. In 3 weeks they went from seeds to about 15 inches long. I am very excited about getting these things planted in my garden, its just too early still.

I cleaned and organized the back porch, organized the dining room, cleaned the kitchen, had Chris hang the shelves in the dining room, organized Keira's clothes, put up stickers in her room, and generally just cleaned and organized the house. I have made a lot of progress and I still have a ways to go. I am just glad I am not procrastinating, I have 10 days left to get it all in shape!

i love it

Forsythia in my yard...I love how vibrant the yellow is, I wish I had a shirt that color. Friday we'll go out and work on the garden, I can't wait!

too much to do

I have 2 weeks until Keira's first birthday party and too many projects to complete before then. There is the garden, the back porch, the side porch, the deck, my bedroom, her bedroom, the diningroom, the office and the upstairs bathroom. I feel sort of overwhelmed. I am not sure if I can accomplish all that. I desperately want to though, it would make this summer a lot easier to get those things done sooner rather than later. Keira is down to one nap as well, so there is less time for me to get that stuff done. I will get it done! That is my new attitude, and I'll just have to post my results! That'll keep me accountable!

In the meantime I wish I were here...near a stream in the sunshine...

need a reason...

...To make something like this...found this on Anthropologie's facebook page, by Nathalie Lete. Gosh, if only I could find fabric that cool in the mountains of Virginia!

feinedinge

This is straight from http://ohjoy.blogs.com. The above picture is of a store in Austria called Feinedinge. For one thing, I wish the outside of this joint was the front of my house and second, look at these amazing vases below! I wonder if they ship to the US...otherwise Chris and I might have to schedule a trip to Austria!

brook farm

These sweet items came from http://brookfarmgeneralstore.bigcartel.com. The stainless steel straws are for me and the wooden ipod covers are for Chris, maybe me too:-).

out and about

We went out Saturday to find me a bike and go out to eat. We decided to enjoy the weather by eating outside...

...sun setting downtown...

...our friends.

garden dining

Spring is almost here, a little less than a week away! I am dying to get out in my back yard and make it usuable! Above is a photo from Martha Stewart's website. I love the pea gravel! I used to HATE gravel, but I am coming around...plus its cheaper than bricks and pavers!

These last three pictures are from http://gardenrooms.typepad.com and I am completely in love with all 3 looks. I have a variety of tables and chairs. If I still do a deck and patio on the back of the house the yard is big enough to do a separate space. Of course I'm still working on my garden rendering. My plants are out of control...I thinned some...I will post an update on those soon.

Anniversary

We spent the weekend in Shepardstown, WV. Above and below are pictures of Harper's Ferry, WV. We took a day trip over there in the pouring rain.

This is where we stayed, at the Bavarian Inn. It was gorgeous! And right on the Potomac River.

covered bridge

I have taken a brief break from blogging. I had a stressful two weeks between family health problems, my husband getting a new job(!) and a few little trips. So to update a few weeks ago Chris, Keira and I went to the covered bridge I think located in Mount Jackson, VA. It was gorgeous, but I was not thrilled with the yucky grafitti underneath...

...its at the end of a tree lined road! I love it...

My gorgeous hubby and girl!

anyone who knows me...

...knows my style and tastes are all over the place. I got the issue of Elle Decor a while ago but I still come back to this apartment.

I love the hippy vibe, I love the art, I love the low profile of the room and the exposed beams. It looks like a fun place to hang out with friends.

kitchen curtains-finally!

Well here they are! I finished them today, well, minus one, I still have the big window to do but I'll save that for tomorrow...

...I asked Chris if he liked them. I said I was afraid they were too "shabby chic," and he said they looked "elegant country." I think that's the same thing...not what I was going for but they do look cozy, which is what I wanted:-). Who knows, they may drive me crazy and something else will be up soon!

sunday stuff

Here are a few necklaces from etsy that caught my eye. The first 3 are from RachelleD and the last is from Blue Dove Studio. Makes me want to get out my beads and make something pretty. I think I should finish the kitchen curtains first!

world market curtains

Gosh darn World market and their super cool smocked curtains! Just when I thought I had too many projects going at once I now have another idea I'd like to attempt. I don't particularly want to buy a flat panel that just has some simple tacking so I might have to try this one soon! I'm not sure where I'll alter mine, living room? bedroom?

my plants

Here is a pile of seeds I planted yesterday. That's right some of those were 20 cents a packet!

I used indoor planting trays with clear lids on them this time around. I have 144 little pods planted. I am hoping they will all take, some of them have several seeds in each and they are now sitting in the window.

I planted tomatoes, squash, peppers, cucumbers, basil, green beans, dill, parsley, marigolds, oriental poppies, bachelor buttons, sunflowers varieties, and some zinnias. I have more flowers to plant including bulbs, I have a giant elephant ear in a pot in the sunshine too. I want to be ahead of things when its warm enough to plant. Last year I was pregnant at this time and then had Keira in April and the garden never happened. I won't let that happen this year!

garden design

I googled 'garden design' to see if I could find any renderings of gardens to base mine off of. This is what I found and its at http://www.creativeearth.co.uk/.

I've been dying to get out in the garden and start digging everything up but we still have about 6 inches of snow back there. Granted its nice and warm out today and I probably won't be able to get out there any time soon, so in the meantime it would be a good idea to get planning.

I got some bulbs from Costco last Saturday. I will not be able to even plant them until April. I got ranunculus, peonies, hostas and anemone. Some are shady plants some are full sun and I think after the little planning I've done I have some good ideas about how to get started. I would like to do some raised beds for vegetables and herbs and then the bulk of the flowers to run along the borders of our yard. I am also figuring in the deck/patio we would like to put in this spring. Keira will be walking soon and I'd like a nice place to sit and watch her as well as use for entertaing, etc.

I will get busy on my drawing and I will post photo of Keira's room, its come a long way!

dreaming of spring

Lovely bouquet from www.saipua.com

I want these on my dining room table!

thrift store finds

I went to the thrift store on Saturday and found quite an assortment of items I have been looking for. I haven't found quite this much in a long time, but here it is. I am compiling an enormous load of dishes for my brother's wedding. They are going for an eclectic, antiquey look for their reception decorations. They are getting married on a beautiful farm in October, so I have more time to find dishes, but I have a hefty pile going already. These dishes only cost 25-50 cents a piece! Its cheaper than renting, and way prettier.

This is a cheese platter thingy I found for $3.50. I think I'll make a terrarium out of it in the meantime!

I have a few helpful hints for thrift store shopping:

*know what you are looking for

*don't buy it unless you are in love with it or have a genuine need for it

*most things can be cleaned and polished or painted

*set a budget, 10 bucks max

*make sure nothing is cracked, broken or stained

If you find that you don't use the item, put it out for a yard sale, that way you can get your money back! Yes I am cheap!

*

work in progress

Our living room.

My husband bought the 52" tv on the right there, which completely overpowers my cute tv stand and also completely overpowers the whole room. Since we moved it to its current wall, the rest of the wall looked completely void. The contrast of a black tv on a very dark tv stand in front of a bright wall(its brighter in real life) is something I have had to work around. Thus the frames and cube shelves.

The issue at hand is the cream colored door and trim. When we moved in 2 years ago we painted the walls immediately but never painted the trim. I have a feeling this will continue to bother me if I do not fix it. I would like them to be bright white. The house is small and the white tends to just brighten things a bit. The frames on the wall need a load of help too. I have more to hang but not much to fill them. I need to compile some art and photos. I'll add it to the list!

coming soon...

My kitchen is in desperate need of curtains. I was up early this morning planning them out so please forgive my photography, its a bit dark and messy! I have some cotton toile and it goes with some placemats my mother-in-law had made me and also a basket liner and tea cozy my own mother made for me. I am being sidetracked by my lost thread...more on this later...

This sort of thing drives me nuts, half finished paint jobs! We took the heavy swinging door off its hinge and there is an unfinished spot on the floor. This does not bother me so much as our floors are in need of a refinish. That is the doorway between the kitchen and diningroom.

This an after and before, as you can see! Small victories- I touched this up this morning. This is in our very small downstairs hallway and directly below the telephone nook that the West Elm egg is currently perched on.


I love making progress, but there are so many little things to do around the house that it becomes overwhelming. I am trying to just focus on finishing one thing at a time.

in real life

So, this is the West Elm egg vase in my house! Notice its large size. I guess it had its dimensions on the website, but I didn't pay any attention, I thought it would be small. My husband, Chris, thinks it looks like a dinosaur egg. Anyway, I like it! Not bad for 7 bucks! This will not be its final resting place and I can't wait to put some fresh blooms in it...one of these days.