Snowy Days ~ A Feast for the Senses

The sight outside my window this morning.

In the quiet morning hours, the only sound to be heard is sleet hitting the front door & windows.

The smells inside the house ~ fresh brewed coffee.

Is there a better smell to be found on a day like today?

The books have been chosen and my sense of touch will be satisfied when I curl up under my soft afghan and settle in for some reading.

I love reading about Gladys Taber's life at Stillmeadow, her farmstead in Connecticut.  The illustrations are so cozy.

This is exactly the kind of reading I am looking for on a day like today.

I know the birds will be enjoying the taste of the sunflower seeds I have put out for them.

Snow, on that note ...

I'm off to enjoy a warm & cozy day.

 

My White Bathroom

Today I am joining Rhondi at Rose Colored Glasses

for White Wednesday. She has issued a challenge for those of us who prefer color in our homes to flaunt a little white. 
Thank you Rhondi for hosting this event.

 

While I do prefer color in most of my rooms, my bathroom is decorated in shades of white.

This tile was the inspiration for the room.

The walls were faux painted in tones that match the tiles.  The lighter paint has a pearly look.

It is often mistaken for wallpaper.

The magnolia scent from this potpourri is fresh & light.

Even though there isn't a lot of color in this room, I was still able to incorporate some of my favorite things ~ like birds & cherubs.

Sweet cherubs sitting at the edge of the tub.

Birds & just a touch of blue.

The white provides a peaceful, calming atmosphere.

Perfect for soaking in the tub and a nice place to start and end my day.

Thanks so much for stopping by to visit me on White Wednesday.

A Random Week

On this Friday evening as I wait for my husband to return from a business trip, my thoughts turn to you ~ my friends. Today I had lunch with my sister-in-law and then a quick trip through HomeGoods. As we looked at different items for sale, I was amazed at how often I said "the bloggers would do this, or the bloggers do that." For instance, she liked a few framed paintings, but said she didn't care for the black frame. So, I said "you could spray paint it ~ that's what all the bloggers do." I'm wondering if any of you have thoughts or conversations like that? Or am I just a little weird? (Please don't answer that :) My sister-in-law may think that as she is not into blogging. However, she asked me to show her what a blog was and I did. She liked what she saw and often says why don't you take a picture of this or that and put it on your blog. My husband says that too. I often find him reading my blog at night. I think it's kind of cute. It makes me think that blogging is contagious even for those who don't want to start their own blog.

Anyhow, when my husband went on his business trip he took my laptop and my camera. As all bloggers know, that is cause for anxiety :-)
Fortunately, I have still been able to stop by and visit you on my old computer. As I was visiting blogs today it occurred to me that I had some photos stored here. So, this post is being put together with some old photos. I fear it may be a bit random too.
I do hope you all had a good week & your weekend holds the possibility for happiness and fun.
My week consisted of continuing on my mission to put my home on a diet and clean up as I went along.

Since the new year began I have been reading a lot. At least one hour per day. Believe it or not this was an order from my doctor. After the stress of last year, I thought it a good idea to have a complete physical. I tend to hold my stress inside of me. The doctor said I had to spend one hour per day doing something totally relaxing. For example: yoga, tai chi, taking a bath or reading. He stressed that if it was reading it should be something like a novel ~ no politics, etc. I asked him how many days a week I should do this. He adamantly said "every day of the week." It may sound easy, but some days I have to make a real point to do it. Even though I do enjoy reading, it's amazing how often I felt like I was being lazy to just sit and read.

I am also on a mission to eat only healthy food. I have always been very health conscious, but there were some things discovered in my physical that needed to change. The doctor was ready to prescribe medicine, but I don't want to go there. She explained that sometimes it doesn't matter how much you exercise or how well you eat if your family medical history isn't so good. Let's just say that right now I am mad at my family medical history. I am doing everything in my power to avoid medicine, but time will tell in this instance.

These pictures are from last April when I visited our local botanical gardens (aka: Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens). I had intended to do a post on the visit, but it never happened. So, perhaps some pretty flowers would appeal to you now in the dead of winter.

I told you this post could be a bit random ...

And I delivered on that promise ;-)

In case I haven't told you lately ~ you all are a very important part of my day and I ♥ you.

Be back next week ~ with a bit less randomness.

Signs of Spring

Our temperatures were near 60 today.

After a few weeks of cold weather, it felt so good to put on a light jacket and take a walk.

In my yard I discovered a few clumps of daffodils poking through the ground.

Last month when we were in Asheville, NC I took a few pictures of these flower pots. I was amazed that the one daffodil even had a bud. I liked the combination of plants they used and hope to try this myself next fall.



If you're still buried in snow and longing for Spring, I hope these pictures will offer some hope. When I lived in Michigan I sometimes felt like Spring would never arrive. There was no rushing it, but when it finally did come it was so worth the wait. I guess that's true of many things in life.

As For Me & My Home . . . We Are On A Diet

Years ago ~ well 1997 to be exact ~ I clipped a little article out of the newspaper. It was full of good ideas for de-cluttering your house in the new year. Today I dug it out for a little inspiration and had to laugh at the date of the article. I guess January 11th is the official date that I am bitten by the de-cluttering bug.

I like what Alexandra Stoddard has to say about putting your home on a diet after the excesses of the holiday season. Once the hustle & bustle is over, the decorations are put away and the spring season hasn't yet arrived, why not take some time to get the home front in order.

Here are a few suggestions from the article that I found useful:

• Gather all those bulging shopping bags, stuffed magazine racks and overflowing drawers in the center of each room. Clear all surfaces. Sort. Then scrub dusty baseboards and webby corners of the room before you put anything back.

• Throw out 3 stained or cracked coffee mugs.

• Go ahead and use all the boxes of gift soaps stashed in drawers and closets. Even the ones that say the Ritz.

• Give all the houseplants a critical look.

• Recycle, give away or otherwise discard periodicals choking magazine baskets and racks.

• Remove stuff from living room tabletops. Rearrange it, limiting tablescapes to three items.
  
  
  

So, this is what I have been doing today and will continue when time allows. Maybe my house will be a lot lighter when spring rolls around.

As for my diet, as I go along I am purging the cupboards of unhealthy snacks and making a concentrated effort to stick to my new eating plan. With a little luck my house won't be the only thing that is lighter around here ;-)

Feelin' Frosty

As the first full week of 2010 begins, we are feeling a bit frosty here in North Carolina. Last night the weatherman said that a few days with mornings in the teens isn't unusual here, but a long stretch of them is.

Maybe even record setting. He seemed to be indicating that this January could set a new record. Brrr . . .

This frigid weather made my weekend job of putting the Christmas decor away quite pleasant since I could stay inside where it was warm. Well, that is except when I had to go into the attic which was a bit on the frosty side.

Once all of the Santas, nativities, angels, jingle bells & most of the snowmen were safely tucked into the attic until next year . . .

I decided to hold back a few of the snowmen and snowflakes to allow my breakfast room to fit right in with this frosty theme we seem to be having for the month of January.

Who ever said that snowmen couldn't work into my blue & yellow garden themed home?

These guys are ready & willing to be part of the winter garden theme.

Soon enough the birds & blooms will be inhabiting my home, but for now I'm content to hang out in my winter garden enjoying the frosty feeling from the comforts of a warm, toasty home.

In between taking down the Christmas decor, I've been doing a little blog reading. This morning I was reading Kathy's

blog and was sorry to hear about her mishap while stepping off a ladder. I have recently discovered her blog, Sweet Up-North Mornings.

If you haven't visited her before, please do yourself a favor and stop by. It is a beautiful place that is filled to the brim with creativity & inspiration. If you do visit, I would encourage you to look around in her archives. Soo pretty.


May this first week of the new year be good to you,