Spring

I love spring, the anticipation of beautiful blooms...

I've been doing a lot of work in the yard, it should look really good in a couple of weeks.

Farmhouse Mud Room

Remember "Bess" before?

The drawers were too damaged to salvage

Updated Mud Room (a farmhouse must have!)

All we did was add a shelf and paint the inside (sorry, no picture). The outside needed a little cleaning and some "new" old knobs. My mother-in-law made the cute skirt from an old piece of bark clothe.

I took the old window coverings (vintage tablecloth) from the dining room and put them here in the mud room.

Now the room seems a little more inviting, since this is where almost everyone enters our home.

Farmhouse Porch

Spring is here and I have finally finished setting up my porch. I have washed the windows, swept the floor and scrubbed the railings. We dragged out the cushions, planted some flowers, and set out the watering cans. Now I can sit back, drink a mojito and read a good book...

I'm not loving the lattice, but the hydrangeas will cover it soon.

Mattie is enjoying all the hard work!

Thanks for visiting!

***I am joining Debbie Doos Newbie Party ***

Tables, Tables, Chairs, Chairs

Side tables after sanding (I always forget to take "before" pictures).

(Lola)

(Lela)

Next in line...

Found these beauties at the local Habitat for Humanity Resale Store.

Dining Room

I have finally finished some projects!

Remember the before?

Then I added some art paper to the back

But I still wasn't happy...

So I took the paper off, painted the piece green and added a different wallpaper. This was all part of my "step it up" plan for my dining room.

Love it! The room is coming together nicely. Do you like my new window coverings? I'll share pictures of the completed room soon...

Thanks for visiting

Little Splurges

I often write about being on a budget...but every once in a while a product is so worth it's high price tag!

I absolutely love my Le Creuset dutch oven.

"LeCreuset was founded in 1925 in France by two Belgian industrialists - Armand Desaegher (a casting specialist) and Octave Aubecq (an enameling specialist). The pair introduced the signature Le Creuset round cocotte (French/Dutch Oven) soon after; the cocotte remains the company's most popular cookware piece to this day.
In 1934 Le Creuset introduced the signature Flame (orange) colored enamel on its cast iron cookware items."

(Wikipedia)

I was first attracted to the great colors available (big surprise), then I found out how wonderful they are to cook with. Everything just tastes better!

I have a 5 1/2 quart dutch oven in Caribbean that I leave on my stove top ready to go. This is a great size for a family of four.

We also have a 7 1/4 quart dutch oven in kiwi. Since my husband loves to cook for our family gatherings, this large size gets plenty of use.

New colors are always being added-purple is the newest.

The price for the 5 1/2 quart dutch oven is around $250, and yes it's worth every penny. All you really need is one, and with proper care it will be enjoyed by future generations.

 

Joining DebbieDoos Newbie Party

No White Walls!

I love color! So I have a "no white wall" rule.

Actually, we spent so many years moving around (my husband spent 20 years in the US Air Force) and living in rentals with white walls, that now I love living with colorful walls.

(all images Better Homes & Gardens)

One thing that makes all this color look really great...

White woodwork!