Friday, August 5, 2011

Peaches Are Here!

We are fortunate enough to live in an area that is famous for its orchards.  It's an exciting time in our little valley when it's peach harvest time.




We even have a fun little festival to celebrate the peaches.  I just got my first box of peaches today. 

Aren't they pretty?

Afraid of being shunned from the community for not properly taking advantage of the peaches, the first year I moved here from the big city I bought large amounts of peaches and tried to can them.  That was five years ago.  I still have those jars in my pantry.  We're too afraid to eat them for fear of botulism.  Hey, I told you I wasn't known for my cooking skills.  Once I poisoned an entire group of church ladies from a soup I brought to a potluck.  That'll teach them to never ask me to bring anything!

I better do something with these peaches and something fast or else I'm going to have a house full of fruit flies.  So, I'm thinking I might try to make jam and fruit leather from these goodies.  That can't be too hard, right? 

I know this is a decorating blog and everything, but if I make something and it turns out good, do you want a tutorial?  I promise to try not to poison you!  I'll make my kids be the guinea pigs.

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Book Suggestion

I LOVE to read.  It is my absolute favorite thing in the world to do, especially when I find a good book.  I would happily lay in my bed or on the couch with a good book for hours and only rise occasionally to snack or use the bathroom.

Well, I just finished this book in less than 24-hours.  That qualifies it as a good book in my opinion.



I didn't know much about the Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond, prior to reading this book.  I knew she cooked and since I detest cooking and will go to great lengths to avoid it, I never checked out her blog.  This book, however, has nothing to do with cooking.  It details how she went from an L.A. city girl to meeting and later marrying Marlboro Man, her hunky husband, and settling down on his cattle ranch.  It is such a great love story.  In addition, Ree is a great writer.  If you are looking for a new book to read, I would definitely recommend this one.  Beware, it will make you want to go out and find your own cowboy!

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

House Party #3 - Link Up!

Wow...is it really Thursday again?  This summer seems to be flying by and it's almost back to school time for my kiddos.  I can't believe it!

Are you still painting and crafting and creating in these dog days of summer?  I hope so! 

Here are a couple of my favorite projects from last week.  Korrie from Red Hen Home is right on trend with this gradient-painted dresser.  Remember my love of all things ombre?  I'm still searching for the perfect dresser to try this on for my daughter's room.



Isn't this dresser pretty?

I love the unexpected pop of color that Kris from Lovely Again...by Kris did.

Now, it's your turn!

Saved By Suzy
<div align="center"><a href="http://savedbysuzy.blogspot.com" title="Saved By Suzy"><img src="http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd408/lizzygal18/Savedbysuzypartyblogbuttonchevron.png" alt="Saved By Suzy" style="border:none;" /></a></div>
Let's party:
Link up your home decor project. Pretty much anything to do with you house is fine.

•Please provide a link back to my blog. A text link is fine, or feel free to grab my "Saved by Suzy" party button from the sidebar. The more people that know about the party and participate the better for all of us.
•Be sure to share the love and leave comments for others.
•That's it...NOW START LINKING!!


My Dream Home

Every few years I get the itch to move.  Since I've lived in my current home for 5.5 years, I've definitely got the "it's time to move" feeling.  I like my current house and it works well for my family.  My neighborhood is great. There are kids everywhere and my girls are always running to and from friends' houses.  I don't feel like I need a bigger or better house, just something different.  Moving is not a reality right now, especially not moving into a dream home, but we all like to dream right?

I've thought a lot about what kind of home I would like.  The beach is one of my favorite places.  Should I choose something on the beach?  I have lived in France and fell in love with the old country houses in the South of France.  Maybe one of those? 





Nope, that's not it.  Like many of you, family is the thing that is most important to me.  Thus, my dream home would be close to my family in Minnesota, where I grew up.  Here are some homes in Minnesota that I am drawn to:


This house is located just a few blocks from my parents.  I drove by it everyday on my way to the Mall of America and my job at Abercrombie & Fitch about 20 years ago!


This house has some similarities to the house where I grew up and my parents  still live...all brick, traditional, probably built in the 1930's:




This one might be my absolute favorite.  And, bonus!, it is on the same street where my uncle lives:

I would definitely need a large grassy yard with outdoor entertaining areas.  Perhaps an indoor/outdoor kind of room with seating and a fireplace.  Here's the back.  It's a good start, but I would need to add some sort of outdoor room and maybe a pool as lying by a pool is probably my all time favorite activity.  I love the curved windows and tile roof too :

A pool like this would be nice along with the little pergola on the left:

Houston Southern Estate traditional landscape


And, just for fun, here's the "Father of the Bride" house...love the house and the movie:



I wouldn't want to live in an isolated location.  I like being able to be outside and talk to my neighbors, let the kids play with other neighborhood friends, and even walk to get an ice cream cone, a cafe, or a bookstore.  I like older, established neighborhoods with lots of leafy green trees, pretty gardens and architecturally diverse homes.  Most of the homes I picked here are located around one of Minneapolis's many lakes.  The lakes are great places to run, bike, and just hang out.


So, all of these houses are traditional and OLD.  While I love older homes, Big K and I are not very handy.  I don't want a house that we have to be continually fixing.  Plus, I'm scared of old basements. There are rooms in my parent's basement that I'm still too scared to go in as an adult.  And, old houses don't have many of the amenities I like in modern houses, such a large closets and bathrooms and open floor plans. Thus, I might need a new home designed to look old, like this one:
Lots of old-fashioned molding and architectural details, but features an open floor plan.  This home was recently featured on Home Stories A to Z, if you are interested in learning more about it.

If you've read this blog for more than a day, you might know that I love color and pattern.  While I like the curb appeal of a traditional home, traditional decorating is not for me.  But, I think classic homes are a perfect canvas for fun, bright decor, such as this:


Aqua and pink, one of my favorite combos!  In fact, all of the interiors in this home are pretty amazing.  Check it out at House of Turquoise.

Here's what I would NOT do.  Way to traditional, but again I love the curved windows and style of the fireplace:


I hope you liked my little dream home post.  I have some great guest posters lined up for the next few Wednesdays, so be sure to check back.  I also have room for more dream home guest posters.  Just send me an email if you are interested.

Here's a fun blog I stumbled upon while wasting time doing important internet research for this post.  If you like looking at homes, go check it out.  She even has a little section on homes featured in movies, such as the Father of the Bride house pictured above.



Monday, August 1, 2011

I Won!

Every now and then I enter a blog giveaway, and guess what?  I actually won something!  Simplified Bee did a giveaway of these adorable personalized prints from Nutmegaroo.

Aren't they darling?  It was so hard to choose just one, but I did.  I was thrilled when I received a package from Nutmegaroo this weekend.  Not only did she send me the print that I ordered, but she included two bonus prints.  What a sweetheart!


As you might recall, I've been slowly redoing C's room.  Guess what?  This is the start to her new gallery wall.

Here are my two bonus prints.  I'm putting the "Hello Gorgeous" in the girls' bathroom near the mirror. Girls can use all the confidence boosters they can get (especially my tweeny bopper)!  I've depleted my stash of frames, so it's a good thing I'm heading on a few trips that will bring me closer to IKEA so I can pick up more of my beloved Ribba frames.  Or, maybe I'll get lucky at the thrift store and find some good frames.  Fingers crossed!

Of course, now my other 2 daughters want one for their room as well!

Thank you to Nutmegaroo and to Simplified Bee for this awesome giveway!

Antique Rocking Chair

I got this rocking chair early this summer at a garage sale for $15.  The seller said it was over 100 years old.  Of course, I didn't believe her.  Until I started working on the chair.  The wood just seems extra old and worn...I can't describe it, but it's definitely different than the newer pieces I have worked on.

I didn't prime this piece because I knew I was going to distress it.  This is the first time I didn't prime and everything worked out fine.  I painted her with some oops paint and then sanded her down.  I finished by giving her a coat of stain that I rubbed on and then quickly rubbed off to give a more aged look.  Here's the end result.




Not too bad for a 100-year old!

Linking up to some of these great sites:
Today's Creative Blog, Sugar Bee Crafts, Not Just a Housewife, Reasons to Skip the Housework, Bella Before and After, Primitive and Proper, Home Stories of A to Z, Savvy Southern Style, DIY by Design, Tip Junkie, Type A Decorating, http://sistersstuff.blogspot.com/, The Thrifty Home, Domestically Speaking, Primp,
A Diamond in the Stuff, Restore Interiors, The Shabby Chic Cottage, Somewhat Simple, Beyond the Picket Fence, Fireflies and Jellybeans,My Simple Home Life,
Addicted 2 Decorating, Just a Girl, Remodelaholic, Miss Mustard Seed, Finding Fabulous, Tatertots and Jello, Under the Table and Dreaming, Thrifty Decor Chick, Coastal Charm, Junker Newbie

Weekend In Review: Steamboat

We spent a long weekend in Steamboat Springs. Despite having lived in Aspen and spending lots of time at my parent's place in Breckenridge, Steamboat is quickly becoming my favorite Colorado mountain town. Aspen is a little too ritzy...dragging three kids into a restaurant while the other patrons glare at you for daring to bring children into the establishment is not so fun. Not to mention having to take out a small loan just to feed the kids in Aspen. Not very family friendly. Breckenridge is a cute town, but it's proximity to Denver makes it feel especially touristy to me. Steamboat is a relaxed, kid-friendly, Western town that feels like a "real" place as opposed to a tourist haven. I would highly recommend visiting if you ever have the chance. Although I like to ski, I enjoy going to the mountains more in the summer. They are so beautiful and there are so many fun activities to try.

Here are a few pictures.

 Riding the chairlift up to the top of Howelsen Hill to ride the Howler alpine slide down.














Horseback riding up a mountain trail was really fun and the views at the top were amazing.
The river is a popular tubing destination, but it was running too high for little kids to do it this year.  We got to sit on the banks and bridges and watch.
How cute are these sisters?  The town is filled with flowers.

Hanging out at one of the many playgrounds we visited.

 On a hike to Fish Creek Falls.


Crazy rock climbing daughter.

In the background, you can see the rodeo grounds.  We had a blast at the rodeo.



Mom and Dad even had a little fun too!