Christmas Tour Part II: Come inside for a peek at some of our decorations for Christmas. This will be our first Christmas in several years with all our kids at home.

Christmas tour part I: Considering hubby has been away during the time to decorate for Christmas, I have had limited time and muscle for the task at hand. Part I consists of a peek at our winter wonderland just outside our front door.

The Mr. leaves tomorrow (sniff, sniff) ... we've had a productive two weeks in some ways ... but still not 100% unpacked from moving into our new home. Shuffling STUFF has become a way of life around here. In order to organize the garage, we had to clear out our basement storage room to get ready for the new carpet ... which evolved into getting carpeting in most of the basement, which means the whole area is a mess again! Of course, said carpeting is to be installed AFTER dh leaves (booo, hooo) ... in the meantime the garage is still disheveled. Dh is a stickler for organization. He likes to be able to walk blindfolded in any room (other than the kids') and find something. Can you believe he actually MADE me organize my desk (tsk, tsk) ;) I am a procrastinator ... and work best under deadlines ... so often put off tasks ... not dh ... Friday and Saturday we're having a huge garage sale ... to clear out some clutter. I'm thinking of hiring this local company that will list all your more valuable items on ebay and take a percentage of what gets sold. I just don't have the time, energy, or desire to do so ... yet don't want to just give away some things at the garage sale.

Photos: family room with storage room stuff; emptied out storage room

Got Mower? In another few weeks it will be time to give our front lawn its first mow. Dh is home enjoying puttering and unpacking boxes ... moving stuff here and there ... tidying up HIS garage (man room). We decided to order carpet for the basement instead of having the stained and polished concrete ... to make it a bit warmer (we weren't crazy about the finished product. It should have been better protected while the builders were making the house). We ordered a large slab of basalt rock to have our address engraved on to place next to the flag pole ... and a few "bowl" shaped basalt rocks to sit on around the campfire ring. Once this area is done, we can hydro seed the other part of our front lawn.

Weekly Report: The weather has turned from a damp, chilly Memorial Day and skipped right ahead to warm summer sunshine. This heat-up should make the newly hydro seeded lawn sprout and be green before DH arrives with his mom on June 14th. Yesterday I shopped around for patio furniture to use in the backyard; it's made from all weather wicker ... I ordered three counter stools to use in the kitchen. Our rain gutters were installed ... and I finished planting some bushes I purchased last week. The nursery lady gave me a list of deer resistant plants ... let's hope she's right!

The hydro seed company sprayed on the front lawn and should be back to apply some wetland grass and wild flowers to the side and back portions of our yard to help with erosion. A thunder and lightning storm rolled through with just a light mist of rain ... we're not supposed to water until tomorrow, so I was glad it didn't pour buckets of rain. The white front porch rockers have small rugs under each one to make the motion smooth, and the geraniums need to fill out a bit. Today, my new shipment of scented geraniums arrived by UPS! It amazes me that they look perky after being boxed up for over a week! I went to a nursery this morning to begin the task of selecting shrubs and perennials that are considered deer resistant for the flowerbeds. I'm thinking of transplanting some native plants such as wild roses and snow berry bushes as they grow so well. Today, I spied an orchid plant among all the wild flowers, and I just can not get over how many forget-me-nots are growing on our property. This has to be my favorite time of year with all the flowers to "drink in" ... a close second to the fall season.

Down the HOME stretch: Over the past few weeks the place has taken on a finished appearance. Landscaping is underway with the installation of sprinklers and concrete curbing. On Monday we should have the front yard hydro seeded. For Mother's Day I received many pony-packs of beautiful flowers from the kids. These have been planted in the nooks and crannies of our front and rear rock retaining walls ... who needs flower pots??? The painter finished up on Tuesday and the trim and front porch came out great. The back acreage is such a lush emerald green filled with lots of wild flowers, ferns, strawberries, and young pine trees. Large trees stand guard and provide much needed shade on the back patio in the afternoon. From the front porch rockers you can watch the morning and evening activity of a woodpecker family that has made a cozy home in an old lopped off tree. I'm settling into a routine, one patterned after my earlier years living with my grandparents that includes a daily schedule, getting to bed early, taking time to smell the roses, and not over filling my day with too much busyness. Hurry back dear hubby ... our home is waiting for you!

Flower In The Crannied Wall

Flower in the crannied wall,

I pluck you out of the crannies,

I hold you here, root and all,

in my hand,

Little flower -

but if I could understand

What you are, root and all,
and all in all,

I should know what God and man is.

By: Alfred Tennyson

Our great room is the spot to relax after dinner on a chilly evening. Warmth from the freestanding stove's fire will keep you toasty! In the morning time, we have the fire going to just take the chill out of the house without heating up all the rooms. Look at the wolf painting I came across at a secondhand store. We're going for a woodsy-lodge theme ... can't wait to get that buffalo robe/rug DH is sending my way :)

Coffee's on ... pull up a chair and have a cup while I fix us a snack. Our kitchen is the hub of the home. It's open enough to move around in ... but not large enough to get lost in. From the sink I can visit with company, look out the dining and great room windows, keep an eye on the stove. Putting away dishes is a breeze.

The "daily" home tours are not consecutive if you haven't figured that out by now. I'm just too busy figuring out how to work everything that I don't have much time left at the end of the day :)

Here's a peek at the dining room. It is its own room off the kitchen. Three walls are exterior; two with nice windows and a single French door. There are no blinds up yet ... I love the views and won't do much other than simple Roman or cloth roller shades. We're not a "formal" type of family and didn't want a "formal" type of dining room. The table and antique sideboard were purchased when we got married (26 years ago). As soon as I get some stools, we can eat at the kitchen counter.

See the cuckoo clock hanging on the wall. A recent find at a "junk" store. Wasn't working too well when I got it home ... fortunately (?) it fell off the wall ... struck my head and nose ... I caught it in mid-air ... now it works just fine.

The dining room chandelier once hung in my grandparent's home.

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Day two of the home tour: This morning I'm sharing a few pics of my vintage tub and the master bathroom. My poor plumber had a difficult time with all the tub fittings ... but alas I can relax in a warm sudsy bath ... my earthly "sanctuary" from a long tiring day. Calgon ... take me away!

Now that I figured out how to post pictures with my wonderful dial-up connection, I'll start posting a few each day. There are very few decoration on the walls, as I like to take my sweet time and get a "feel" for what the room needs (so I don't have to patch holes from errant nails). I'll start with the master suite: We desperately need to have drapes made as the thought of moose and deer just outside my bedroom sliding door traversing my yard whilst I'm sleeping is a bit thrilling and creepy (I do find their hoof tracks several times a week ... )

Photos: Our bed; chase lounge ... dresser ... mirrored door leads into the walk-in closet