At Home – Page 12

Some things that make me do a jig….

August 1, 2013

some things that make me smile….

::earl came to my bedroom window for the first time yesterday morning. i guess i need to keep a jar of nuts by my bedside. he has been bringing a lady friend around lately. we named her pearl. i think chris and i may be grandparents soon:)

::we are headed to the lake on thursday to visit friends for a long weekend and then we will head back up in a few weeks for a week long stay.

::tomatoes are coming in strong from the farm and i find myself eating something tomato-y at every meal.

::harry has found many new friends in our neighborhood and has doggy playdates almost every day. yesterday he spent the morning in a neighbor’s backyard playing with his buddy burt, a standard poodle. he came home pooped.

::swim team is over as well as camp and we now have the rest of the summer to just be before the busy fall schedule arrives.

::the heat has broken (for now) and i am a much happier camper. the forecast is sunny and 70s with no humidity for the next week and i am doing a jig!

::the attic project is close to complete. it is beautiful and bright and gets the best light in the house. i sit up there every morning and take it all in before it will soon be hannah’s space and i will have to step back a bit.

::norah and i have been dreaming up some plans for her room re-do.

Home stretch!

August 1, 2013

some sneak peeks….
home stretch!

Summer has been good to us

July 21, 2013

it’s been hot and humid which makes me grumpy.
i wish i had more tolerance for the heat.
you would think that i would have accepted by now that summer is just hot around these parts.

i have not been out in the garden much, although it is looking happy thanks to all of the rain we have had.
we have been eating lots of tomato sandwiches, smoothies, homemade popsicles, watermelon and snack bar food at swim meets. i don’t think i have turned the stove on in almost a week. thank goodness for the food processor.
we have been going for either a late night swim or taking an ice cold shower just before bed each night to cool down.

but aside from all of that, summer has been good to us. really good.

:: chris makes a few jars of sun tea every other day in old pickle jars.

:: harry is adjusting beautifully and goes where ever we go. his breed is known for adapting well to an active family. he plays hard and sleeps hard like all of us.

:: earl still continues to stop by for a few nuts. i saw him playing with two other squirrels this morning, circling the big maple tree in my neighbor’s yard.

:: today we make pickles from an overabundant crop of cucumbers. i harvested loads of dill flowers from the farm last night to top each jar.

:: i miss the cicadas. i have hardly heard their song this summer.

:: i am counting down the days until we head to the lake. it’s my reward for getting through the dog days of summer.

Meet Harry

July 13, 2013

meet harry!
a white dog with black spots like this fellow.
we are smitten.

he’s a coton de tulear.
and a lovebug.
he’s a 4 month old pup and a perfect mix of playful, friendly and mellow.

the girls have been begging us for a year now for a dog.
i always just said no with excuses like our house is too small. norah and i have allergies. too much time. too much money.
but luckily their persistence got me thinking more about it and we started to do some research on breeds and what kind of pup might fit well with our family.

well we found him and i can’t even believe just how perfect he fits in.
it’s like he has always been here.

A fourth of july tradition

July 6, 2013

i know i’ve told you before but i just love my neighborhood.
many traditions have been formed here over the years that we hold near and dear to our hearts.
i love thinking of my girls carrying them all with them wherever they may go.

one of our favorites is our neighborhood fourth of july party.
our neighbor travels to new hampshire to buy an amazing selection of fireworks each year.
we host a big potluck and then at dark the show begins.
people from all over town come out to see the festivities.

good hometown fun.

Rainy days

July 2, 2013

it’s been very rainy here. there has been a thunderstorm almost every day for the last two weeks.
but there are little respites here and there to weed, go for a walk and we even got to romp on the beach for an entire day on saturday.
we are hoping there will be a break on thursday for some fireworks, friday for some berry picking and then on saturday for a pond party.

i don’t seem to mind the rain and clouds all that much. must be my irish roots.
i do appreciate not having to water the garden. things are really happy out there.
my houseplants even got to enjoy as they went on a little summer vaca the past few days to drink up the rains.

you can’t really see our living room floor as it’s covered in board games.
and we’re going to the movies tomorrow.

Life has been busy

June 20, 2013

life has been busy.
our new project is almost complete on the outside but still has a bit of interior work to be done.
our gardens are lush and jungle like from the extremely rainy spring we have had.
the weather has been gorgeous as of late with no humidity and crisp cool nights.
earl the squirrel continues to visit us daily for nuts.
the other day the contractors had the back door propped open. i came down to find earl in the kitchen to say good morning.
he’s part of the family now.

p.s. many of you have mentioned or written that you can no longer read or make comments. because things have shifted a bit here and are still in transition you may not have noticed that you just need to click on the title (which is now the date at the top of each post) and it will then lead you to the individual post where you can comment at the bottom.

don’t be shy!!!

I Believe in the Thrifting Gods

June 14, 2013

i set out yesterday for a morning of thrifting looking mostly for lamps and found everything but.
the thrifting gods were definitely with me and blessed me with quite a haul!

i was overjoyed to find many beautiful pieces of pottery. vases, jugs, pots….and oh that lovely set of mugs.
the pot with the lid has a wire handle which will be perfect for compost. because even your compost pot needs to be pretty too!
i love the wooden string winder and neat little hanging basket with the wooden handle.
i have a little addiction to hanging planter pots and loved the blues and browns of this one.
and i just can’t seem to have enough wooden beaded necklaces. perfect for sprucing up any summer outfit.
and they may just continue to live in that pretty little woven basket that was also found.

i love how everything looks together and didn’t really want to pull this little family of finds apart at first.
but i am having fun as i slowly scatter them around giving them new homes, creating new vignettes (my favorite past time) and even tucking some away as gifts.

The bones of our home

June 2, 2013

living amongst construction has not been as bad as i thought.
in fact i find it sort of beautiful.
i feel more connected to my house than ever as it’s bones are revealed.

we have been finding old photos and papers in the walls.
and i now more than ever want to do research on the folks that lived here before us.
although we completely gutted this house and made it our own from day one, it was someone else’s before. i forgot all about that until we recently began to peel away layers.

some things i do know or have heard through the grapevine….
our house was built by the local prisoners in 1920.
a horticulturalist who lived here grew many plants under lights in the basement.
the chief of police committed suicide in the basement (hoping this isn’t true)
the last family to live here raised 5 boys in this house.

there is so much i do not know.
and i can’t help but wonder who will live here after us.

i have tucked a few photos and notes in the walls to let them know who we are.

A room in the trees

May 17, 2013

oh my gosh it’s happening. it’s truly happening. and fast!
we are all so excited over here watching our home transform before our eyes.

it took me a little while to get used to how big the new addition looks from the outside and how different our house looks from our attached neighbor. but after a few days i began to fall in love and sort of like the whole off-kilter look. i like being a bit eccentric:)
we certainly are the tallest house on the block now and hannah’s view is amazing, overlooking the neighborhood roof tops.

one of her role models is julia butterfly hill who lived in a california redwood for almost two years. with her new room high up in the treetops she will feel a little like julia.

the roof and cedar shakes begin on monday along with the stair case and interior.

we are so very lucky to have been gifted this project by my dad and are so appreciative for his generosity. it still feels like a dream.

i love that we are getting closer and closer to using up every available inch in our home to it’s fullest. but don’t worry i have a few more ideas up my sleeve.

Tags

Archive