A Tour of Our Outside Space

Hello!

Hope you are all doing well.  We've finally been having some wonderful weather here.  With the wonderful weather, I've been spending a lot of time outdoors.
So, because of that, I want to show you some of our outside living space.  I love being outside and if I can spend that time gardening, then I am even more happy.  With living in Michigan, I only get a few months a year to indulge myself, so every year, I go all out.

I'll start with the front.  Here is what our home looks like from the street:

My rhododendrons are in full bloom:

I added window boxes this year:

I'm hoping they'll look like this eventually:

Its funny, I didn't even think to do window boxes until I saw this picture.  Then I HAD to have them.  I didn't realize until just now that I put the vines on the outside vs the middle, but I still love it!  Maybe next year, I'll do it that way...

I bought trailing begonias for my front porch.  They are also called Illumination begonias. 

The one on the end has a robin's nest in it with three eggs.  I would make a home there too if I was a bird!

As they grow, they will cover the pot and become even fuller.

Our porch:

And the view going down the front steps:

 

We have an island in the front with large rocks.  I have creeping phlox growing around the rocks and its so pretty when its in bloom.

Below the rocks are hostas:

Here is a view of the whole island.  You can't see them now, but I have 16 hydrangeas in there that are  beginning to leaf out.

On the other side of the driveway, I have this beautiful lilac bush:

The back is still being cleaned up, but here are some more trailing begonias we have hanging on the back porch:

Everything looks pretty and not too bad from certain views:

But we have these spots from our dog all over!

My husband is an obsessive lawn guy and these spots drive him nuts.  Therefore, I am driven nuts having to listen to him.  Any have any solutions to keep these areas from occurring?  I think its just part of having a female dog, but maybe someone out there has found a way to manage it.

I'm not even going to show you the pool area.  Its a mess!
I have a project going on with the gazebo that I'll show you soon!

Hope you enjoyed my little tour!  Have a great day!

 

Crawling Along in the Laundry Room

Hello all! 

I am sorry for the lack of posts lately.  I have been busy working outdoors and it has taken me away from the laundry room a bit.   We have made some progress though. 

The ceiling is complete (well, minus some crown molding, but that is painted and ready to go up too).

My Habitat Restore pendant is painted and up as well and I love it!

It started out like this:

Also, my ironing board cabinet is painted.  I am just waiting on some fabric to cover the ironing board.

Remember, it looked this this before:



This cabinet is important because I am using it as a test to see if I like it enough to paint my kitchen cabinets the same color.  I also wanted to see how difficult the process is, although I know one cabinets is nothing compared to the thirty or so in my kitchen.  I do like it.  A lot.  Eeeek!

Finally, I think I found the fabric for the laundry room, since I sold the other fabric I talked about here. 

Here is a sneak peak:

From doing a little research online, I have found the blue is actually a little more blue, IRL. 

Here are some examples from Etsy:

Its crazy how different they look! 

Have a great day!  Next time, I'll be back to show you my garden!  I love decorating, but I am just as passionate about gardening and I can't wait to show you what I have!

Flea Market Love

My in laws have been telling me about a flea market they go to every spring and fall.  Finally, this past Sunday, my husband and I packed the boys up and we all went to check it out.  

Wouldn't you know it rained early Sunday morning and it turned the flea market grounds into a mud pit?  (If you've read my blog before, you would probably expect it though).  We're talking ankle deep mud in places.  Mud and two young, potentially bored boys?  Not a good recipe, but I am happy to say they did great and the flea market was a success!  We were still a mess, but it could have been so much worse!

I wish I had taken my camera, but its bulky and I just didn't think it was a good idea with the rain and with keeping an eye on my kids.  There wasn't anything too unusual about this flea market, but I would have loved to have shown you "The Guys on the Hill," as my MIL calls them.  They have a huge section of goods set up on a hill.  Boxes and boxes of things just thrown together and set down on the grass.  Tons of furniture, old doors, stained glass windows, dishes, books, records, mirrors...you name it, they have it! 

As you shop, they shout out, "Good deals here!"  or "Lots of good deals on the hill today!"   Then, when you stop to look at something, say a chair, they'll say, "Good deal on that chair".  Then you ask how much, they give you an ok price and you counter with an awesome price that they are pretty good about taking!  Love that!

So, what did I get, you ask?  Let me show you!

First thing I bought was this old milk crate for $5.  Its fairly heavy with a metal bottom and in great shape.

Then I found this light:

I loved it, but I needed two that matched for my back patio.  So, as I was holding it, my husband called me from about 50 feet away and held up another one!  It was a slightly different color, but the style was identical!  We asked the man how much and he said $10 for the pair.  Not bad, but my husband countered with $5 and we settled at $7!  Woot!

Here they are together.  Forgive my husband.  He forgets he's not 15 anymore.

I found this vent at another seller's and thought it would look so nice painted and in the laundry room. 

I paid $5 for it and believe me, it is heavy!  Unfortunately, its too big for the laundry room, but I will find another place for it, don't you worry!  If I can get a second similar one, it will go in the basement when we redo it. 

My husband even found an old small gas tank that he plans on redoing.

It was $30, which he tells me is a great deal. 

I painted the lights already and they are even up!

Here's the pitiful lights we had before.  Don't judge.  Our house was a foreclosure and the old light fixtures were stripped out and replaced with cheapos.



And here is the after:

I love the glow it gives with the lights on!

Not bad for $3.50 each!

This flea market happens again in the fall and I am definitely going again, only earlier this time! 



What I'm Loving Right Now

Happy Friday! 

Did you watch the royal wedding this morning?  I was up at 6am, so I did get to see most of it.  What a beautiful wedding!

OK, back on the homefront, I thought I'd share some things that I am loving right now.  Some home related, some not. 

First, I love Fiddes and Sons Supreme Wax Polish.

I am so impressed with this product so far!  I used a water based poly on my ironing board cabinet and then I used this on my hutch and now I wish I had waxed the hutch first because I don't think I would have used the poly at all.  I'm even thinking of sanding the poly off the cabinet and putting the wax on it.  That project went too smoothly and I guess I just have to think of a way to complicate it!

I've heard people say something went on like butter and thought I used some paints that I could say that about, but this product truly does goes on like soft, warm butter.  I put it on with a chip brush, let it dry and then buffed it out with an old nylon.  The buffing is a pretty quick process and its kind of therapeutic to physically work at something and see the soft sheen appear right before your eyes.  It leaves such a soft, silky finish. 

I've been reading all about the chalk paint craze and I am intrigued, but I just used this over some Sherwin Williams Pro Classic latex paint. 

Here is a sneak peak at one of the shelves:

Love it!

The second thing I am loving is pinterest.com, which you have probably heard about if you read even half as many blogs as I do.  If not, pinterest is like a pinboard, or a place to catalog everything you see while surfing the web.  You can also follow people whose taste you admire and see what they pin. 

If you haven't joined yet and would like to, leave me a comment, with your email if you are a no reply blogger, and I will send you the invite you need to join!

In honor of the royal wedding, I thought I'd make some scones.  Then, I got lazy and thought a coffee cake would be easier, which I am sure is not English at all.  Oh well!  This recipe, by Ina Garten, is fabulous!

Image from Food Network

And my version:

Here is what it looks like sliced:

I made it as the recipes states, except that I doubled the filling.


Speaking of the wedding, I loved Kate's dress!

Just gorgeous!

And finally, have you seen The Voice on NBC?

With these judges:

It just aired this past Tuesday and I love it!  You can read here about the details of the show.  I am looking forward to next week's episode.  My husband and I have watched American Idol in the past, but this may be more my thing.  We'll see as the weeks go on!

That's it for now!  How about you?  Have you recently discovered anything that you just love?