A Little Ray of Sunshine

Thank you everyone for your wonderful holiday location suggestions, I've been pouring over each and every one of them!!!  We still haven't decided where we will be heading, but I'll keep you posted.

I've been a little under the weather this week, not sure what is going on, but I know something isn't right with my body.  I've actually felt a little like the sunflower pictured above, a bit droopy.

Mr. Tide was sweet enough to bring me two big bunches of these lovely happy faced flowers from the grocery store yesterday.  Even when you are feeling a bit droopy, you can't help but be cheered up by these gorgeous rays of sunshine!

I hope you each have a wonderful weekend!

Go Your Own Way

It's been a few weeks since I posted, and although I would love to tell you that I've been lounging on a beach somewhere or taking in the sights of some exotic locale during that time, the truth is I've been working instead...sigh!

In between working until 1 a.m. some nights, we've moved kids into a rental house, celebrated Mr. Tide's 50th Bday and generally been running ourselves ragged doing the things that life demands of all of us much of the time.  I know so many of you can more than relate!

I know the payoff for all of this hard work will be worth it, but man oh man, sometimes you have to stop and wonder don't you?!  But just as soon as I think maybe I should put a few pipe dreams on the back burner, I get a sign, a phone call or an email that tells me I'm on the right path.

And I'm fortunate to have friends and family who are right with me every step of the way saying, "do it your way and you'll be much happier in the long run," so I soldier on and hope for the best.

And I am also lucky in that this road I'm on, no matter how bumpy has allowed me to meet some amazing people, some of whom are heading in the exact same direction that I am heading.  One friend in particular is traversing the path right alongside me, and when I'm down and out she gives me a nudge to keep moving forward, and hopefully I do the same for her.

It's nice to go your own way, but it's even nicer when you have someone else who is going "your" way too...I think we all need that in life.

Friends, partners, and confidants who can take one look at your face and say..."I get it, been there, done that!"  Misery may love company, but I prefer company to keep misery at bay.

In a few weeks I will be selling my artwork online.  Oh, I've had a website for awhile now, but this will be the real deal...no foolin' around.  You'll be able to purchase stretched canvas prints and framed prints thanks to a partnership I've made with a wonderful online gallery.

Over the next few weeks, I hope to share with you some of the artwork I've been busy creating.  It's brand spankin' new stuff, and it's not like anything I've really shown you before, so I hope you all will enjoy it as much as I've enjoyed creating it. 

Below is a sneak peek at a few of the prints that will be available, and I'm working on some very cool printing and framing techniques to make each piece special.

In the meantime it's back to the grindstone for me.  I do come up for air every now and again and I'm still out there nosing around your blogs, though I'm often bleary eyed and not up to commenting, so for now lurking will have to do.

And when I'm a little crispy fried from long hours and too much time on the computer, well I stop to smell the lavender.  I can personally attest to its soothing aroma!

I hope all is well in your world, and thank you for providing me with the motivation and the inspiration to follow a path that makes me happy!  When you go your own way you go with the knowledge that whether you flop or you fly high, you'll be contented trying...and that's what matters, right?!

Summer Breeze

Today has been warm and breezy...the kind of day where you just want to be outside and on a beach somewhere.

Actually I did a little bit of both.  This afternoon I had lunch with my dear friend Anna, and we ate outside which was so wonderful this early in the year.  She filled me in on her recent trip to Costa Rica and some cool coastal ideas she has in the works, so when I got home I had to go hang out by the water for a bit, just to get a little beach vibe going.

I know summer is just around the corner and my whole being is craving it. Even my pictures reflect it with their beachy blues and greens.

If we continue to have weather like this, it won't be long before my flip flops are out of the closet and shorts and t-shirts become my new uniform.  Ahh, is there anything quite as wonderful as those warm summer breezes?!

Iris

It was a lovely weekend here at LTHS.  On Friday evening, we went out in the kayaks for the first time this year.  It was the earliest we've ever been out in them since we moved in nearly 5 years ago, and although the water temps were still quite chilly, the air temps were just too good to pass up.

Saturday, our daughter Angelfish and her dear friend "S" came for a quick visit and we had lunch at a favorite restaurant.  It was wonderful to have everyone together for lunch, including our son. 

After our daughter and her friend headed back up the road, our son Bugs decided he and a friend would spend the night at our cabin, so Mr. Tide and I settled in for a quiet evening alone with a movie and big bowls of soup.

If you knew me in real life you would say, "what, you ate soup?!"  You see I sort of hate soup, but as the day wore on it got colder and it was rainy, so soup sounded good to me...a rarity. 

The movie we watched was not for the fainthearted as the subject matter is about the atrocities of WWII, but it was so well done and well worth watching, I highly recommend it!  It, stars Kristin Scott Thomas (such a wonderful actress) and it is called Sarah's Key.   HERE is a link to the trailer for the movie and just be forewarned that you will want a few tissues close by when you watch it.

Today was somewhat dreary, with showers off and on and much lower temps than we've had the past few weeks, but I won't complain, we've been very fortunate to have had incredible weather for this time of year.

And that weather has given us so many beautiful flowers, including this lone Iris that Mr. Tide cut and brought in for me to photograph.  I wish you could smell it, the scent is beyond amazing.  

I hope you each have a wonderful week, and if you do watch Sarah's Key, I'd love to hear what you think of it.

A Day Late and A Dollar Short

Before I do anything, I want to wish my dear friend "J" a very Happy Belated Birthday!!!  You would think that I wouldn't let the birthday of someone so dear to me slip by without me noticing, but it seems like I've been doing that a lot lately.  Last December I even forgot it was my own birthday until my family reminded me.

I have a calendar, I read it daily because it's chock full of appointments, things to do, places to go, but for some reason I thought today was the 15th and that Sunday was St. Patrick's Day.  Maybe I can blame my neighbor who told me in a phone conversation that she was fixing corned beef and cabbage on Sunday...so my feeble brain thought we were off by one day.  But I can't blame anyone but myself I'm afraid, and I think it's a symptom of having too many irons in the fire.

Whatever the reason...it wasn't because I don't love and appreciate my friend.  And if you knew her you would love and appreciate her too.  See, she won't care one bit that I forgot, she's like that, always thinking about others when she should be thinking about herself. 

Anyway, I will make it up to her I promise, and in the meantime I will mortify her by publicly wishing her a Happy Birthday on my blog...one day late and many dollars short of what I wish it could be!  J, when I'm rich and famous...I'll rent us a jet and we'll take tea in London for your birthday!

Once I did realize the date, I decided I better get my act together and pull together a proper St. Patrick's Day post...this time I'm posting early since who knows what I will remember tomorrow.  And since I have recently discovered that I have both Irish and Scottish ancestry, I feel a special kinship to the holiday.

I should have known that there was some Irish floating around in my DNA because my maternal grandfather had many of the traits typically associated with the Irish, ones he passed along...like hardworking, stubborn, and a quick temper.  I won't say if I've inherited all of these, but if you look up stubborn in the dictionary you might just find a photo of me...this is according to Mr. Tide so I'm not sure we can verify the accuracy of it all. ;-)

When I was little I thought my grandmother must be a leprechaun.  She had a keen knack for standing in her yard and spotting a 4 leaf clover from a mile away.  Ok, that might be a slight exaggeration, but she found one every single time she looked so I knew for sure she was blessed with luck and good eyesight...things I imagine any self respecting leprechaun must embody.

Today, when I was out with the dogs I looked down and BAM, just like that I found a 4 leaf clover.  My grandmother must have been watching over me because I really didn't have a clue what to write about or photograph for St. Patrick's Day this year.  Thank you Nan!

If you are of Irish decent, or just want to wear green this St. Patrick's Day, I say go for it.  Having a little extra luck on your side can never hurt right?

And thank you for all of your lovely comments and emails about my post yesterday...I love it when you all make me think...and even more when you make me smile!

Don't Worry Bee Happy

Thanks everyone for your wonderful comments and emails about my last post!  I know so many of us are in the same boat, and it's good to know that we are probably harder on ourselves than anyone else ever could be.

Today I thought I would show you some new goodies I picked up since the first of the year.  I can't believe that March is right around the corner and that I bought these items at the beginning of the year...which seems like just yesterday!

I have this obsession with small vases, I love them and whenever I find one I snap it up.  I think it goes back to when I was a child and I used to love to pick little flowers like buttercups and forget-me-nots and bring them in to my mother.  She always had little vases or juice glasses that she would put them in and then keep them by the sink in the kitchen so that she could enjoy them while she cooked or did the dishes.

I came across this little green vase that I knew would be perfect for short stemmed flowers like pansies and violets, and I loved the deep emerald color.  It was a great price too, and at a favorite local store, Lola Belle Co. so I snapped one up because I knew they would likely go pretty quickly.

Then, a few weeks later, I went to Home Goods and found these wonderful embroidered bee towels.  I love bees, and have for a long time, even before they became so popular so there was no question that they were coming home with me.

I also have a bit of a hand towel obsession, and in a big armoire we have there are two full drawers devoted entirely to towels!  I come by this honestly though as my mother loved napkins and pretty guest towels too.

And here is another weird little tidbit about me...I think some weeds are pretty!  Yup, I think that dandelion flowers are kind of pretty, and as much as I hate the fact that they are weeds, I love blowing their little heads when they go to seed.  When you are surrounded by old farm fields like we are, you learn to embrace all of mother nature's beauty...or you go mad trying to control and tame it.

Mr. Tide's theory on having a beautiful lawn is that if it looks green and good from a distance, well then that's good enough for him.  I'm glad he doesn't obsess over the weeds because if he did it would become a full time job, and we would never get to enjoy where we live and jump into the kayaks whenever possible during the summer months.

And I'm glad I'm crazy for hand towels because I love when I visit someone else's home and they have a beautiful towel hanging in their bathroom or kitchen...even if you know they are just for show they still bring a smile to my face.  And I hope that others enjoy the ones I display in my own home.

Today I attended the funeral of a distant relative...a man I didn't really know, but a good man who had touched others during his long life.  I know my mom would have gone, she was good about things like that, so I'm sure she was happy that my sister and I both went.

It's funny how those bits of character that our parents pass along to us shine through in unexpected ways.  I thought I would end this post with an email I received from another family member, my mother in law, regarding my last post.  It was a lovely surprise to find in my inbox and I don't think she will mind if I share it with you all.

I just looked at your current blog; that definitely is a lovely pitcher you featured. I like the shape of it and the color combination. I loved how you accessorized it in your photo's - very lovely, simple but just right.

    As has been mentioned before, you and your mom had the touch in how to use stuff as you did in this blog and all your others. I have learned a lot from you in that regard but not enough yet  :-) 

      love. Mom    XXX OOO

Wasn't that a kind thing to say?  She actually has a lovely home, and a great sense of style, I even joked with her last time we visited that her outfit one evening was very hip and fashion forward...which it was!  I think it's nice when people support one another, whether it is through a comment on a blog post, a nice email, or reaching out to someone to let them know you care.  We all need that in our lives...friends and family who don't just say they love and support you, but show you through their kind actions.

Shake it Up

Be yourself, decorate with the things you love, find the joy...shake it up and live a little!

Shells for Christmas

No words today...well these are words, but you know what I mean.  It's my birthday, I'm 29...again!!!...and my dear husband bought me a new toy to use on my camera, so I'm off to try it out!  I hope you enjoy these shots of my Hepplewhite chest all decked out for Christmas!

 

Oh, a few more words...thank you for all of your wonderful comments about my kitchen windowsill, and my other coastal themed decor from my last few posts!  Have a wonderful day!

Coastal Christmas in the Kitchen

First of all, I want to take a moment to remember those who lost their lives during the attack on Pearl Harbor on this day 70 years ago.  May we hold them in our hearts forever. 

I finally have something I can share for a few link parties, which I haven't done in a REALLY long time. 

I gave you a sneak peek of my kitchen windowsill a few days ago, but I finally finished it up by adding some greens and a few other things here and there, so I thought I would share the whole thing with you today.  I know it's not the 9th yet, but I'm not good at being patient, so here goes!

Plus, I still have a few more things to put out in here, so I will share more once I have the whole room finished, but I didn't want to miss out on the party.  I love a good party after all, and I've loved seeing the wonderful  posts others have shared over the past few weeks.  There is so much talent in blogland, it boggles my mind sometimes!

Ok, enough chit chat, on to the decorating!  The inspiration for this year's windowsill was mother nature, burlap, and turquoise/aqua.

I started with my blue ball jars, knowing that I wanted them to be a focal point and provide some color.  I wasn't sure if I wanted to put lights in them like I had done in years past, but finally settled on a more simple approach and added little baby cedar trees to them instead.

I lived with those on the windowsill for a few days before deciding which direction to head in.  Then I remembered that I had some burlap ribbon, so I strung that all along the windowsill which gave it some nice texture.

I tend to let my decorating evolve over time, but I usually have some sort of vision of how I want it to end up, or at least which elements I want to use.  I loved the blue of the mason jars, but I felt like something was missing until it dawned on me that I could use my turquoise/aqua insulators as votive holders.  They add just the sparkle I was looking for, and they look so pretty when I light the little tea lights each evening.   And I also love that they are chipped, don't all match, and are well worn, all part of the rustic charm I was hoping to achieve this Christmas.

As I wandered around my house gathering things to add, my collection of seashells seemed like a logical choice to incorporate into my coastal themed vision.  I have all sorts of shells, so I just grabbed a few and spaced them out over the sill.

I debated on putting 3 blue ball jars, one in front of each window, but I felt like it needed a little height in the center, so I grabbed these wooden shore birds which normally sit on top of the TV armoire in the living room during the warmer months.  And I fashioned a wreath out of cypress to hang on the biggest birdie.

Just below the windowsill, next to the sink, I added some vintage ornaments that had belonged to my parents and grandparents and a few other ornaments I have collected over the years.  I purchased the peppermints on copper wire a few years ago, and since I didn't have anything yummy to fill my candy jar with, they did the trick!  A pretty white Cyclamen I picked up the other day when I bought my wreaths is nestled into a big red bowl.  I love to have flowers around all throughout the year, but especially when everything outside is on its way out.

Santa seems to be eyeing something to his right...not sure what, let's hope he's not trying to make a break for it!

And because it's Christmastime, it never hurts to remind ourselves to believe, in whatever makes your heart sing.

Candy canes fill a pudding basin and get weighed in along with some fresh greens on top of my vintage scale.  My little sea urchin votive holder adds a little more sparkle to the kitchen.

So there it is, my coastal cottage inspired Christmas kitchen.  I think baking will be a lot more fun in here this year!  I can't wait to see what the rest of you did in your kitchens!

Click HERE to see more Christmas in the Kitchen inspiration!  And to visit some of the other Christmas link parties you can check out the list below.

 AND

Click HERE to visit the Christmas Home Tours at The Inspired Room!

AND

I am also linking up to the 24 Days of Coastal Christmas at Sally Lee by the Sea!  Click HERE to see more Coastal Christmas decorating ideas!